Red Defender
by Kenna Monster
Summary: Keith always saw himself as an outsider, even after joining Voltron. But he'll fight against the whole universe to save his friends.
1. Crash Landing

Keith drifted.

Surrounded by darkness, for a while he simply _was_.

The vast silence was broken by faint pounding. Vaguely Keith wondered what was happening but before he could try to make sense of the situation a deep exhaustion overtook him.

* * *

The next time Keith resurfaced from oblivion he instinctively knew he was closer to awareness, able to distinguish himself as more than a floating mass in a sea of nothing. He could feel his body, heavy and unresponsive but definitely his. There was a faint static hum and as he concentrated he was able to make out snippets of words, broken by heavy pounding.

"Ke...!"

 _Bang! Bang!_

"...ith...!"

Keith may not have known much else but he would know that voice anywhere. _Shiro_.

"Come on...let me...need...sure he's...ok!"

 _Bang!_

"Wake up!"

Shiro sounded worried and that was enough to spur Keith into action. He tried to make sense of the mangled words, struggling against the darkness that beckoned him. Putting everything he had into forcing his heavy body to cooperate, eventually he managed to curl his fingers into a weak semblance of his fist. At least his hand seemed to be working. Even such small movements sent ripples of agony racing up his spine to his skull.

There were more bangs before a sudden metallic screech rent the air as the hatch door opened and a shadowed figure rushed towards him.

"Keith!"

Keith tried to respond but all that came out was a low groan. He fought to open his eyes, the world cartwheeling above him before slamming to a stop with Shiro filling his vision. It took him a moment to realize where he was. He was lying on his side on the floor, flashing lights and warnings displayed up the screens above him. Then clarity dawned.

He was in the cockpit of Red, and from all the alarms he guessed they'd crashed. Might explain his head feeling as if it'd been split in two.

"Keith? Hey buddy, I'm right here," Shiro said, kneeling beside him.

"Sh'ro" Keith slurred.

"Hey!" Shiro grinned in relief. "Are you okay?"

"H'rts..." Keith blinked heavily, reaching a shaky hand towards his head. He wasn't entirely convinced it hadn't exploded.

"I know," Shiro soothed, grabbing Keith's hand and placing it back on the ground. "Just relax."

"M'fine," Keith argued. Shiro ignored him, glancing around them nervously. His face had that pinched look Keith knew to mean he was worried.

"I can't contact the castle or the other lions," Shiro said, looking back at him. "Which means that for now we're on our own."

"M'fine," Keith reiterated, trying to push himself up into a sitting position. A lightning bolt struck the base of his skull and he crumpled, vision gone completely white. He was distantly aware of Shiro calling his name, but it took a few moments before the fog of pain cleared.

"Keith!"

Keith stirred feebly, eyebrows scrunching together in confusion. He was on the floor with Shiro looming above him, his face a rigid mask of terror.

"Don't do that!" Shiro admonished, heaving a shaky breath. "You've got a bad concussion."

"I do?" Keith asked, unsure how that had happened.

"Tends to happen when you try fighting Zarkon by yourself then get tossed out of an unstable wormhole," Shiro grumbled.

"Wha-what?"

Shiro looked at him, his anger quickly fading. "You hit your head pretty hard huh?"

Keith nodded and instantly regretted it as the world swung around him.

"Ughh," he groaned, curling in on himself as a wave of vertigo hit. Suddenly his stomach spasmed violently, reducing his world to pure misery. There was nothing to bring up but that didn't ease his discomfort. Between each dry heave he gasped for air, eyes clenched tightly shut. He was sure his skull would shatter.

"Breathe...you're okay...just breathe," Shiro murmured, one hand braced against Keith's shoulder to hold him upright while the other rubbed circles on his back. Slowly the comforting touch broke through and Keith relaxed as the bout of nausea ended. His head throbbed and he whimpered, fighting to hold back the tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks.

"Easy, you're alright," Shiro said, gently checking Keith's head for any obvious injury. Keith allowed himself to be manhandled, too exhausted to put up any fight.

"This sucks."

Shiro chuckled, looking down at him with a mixture of relief and concern. It wasn't like Keith to admit when he was beat, but he was definitely down for the count. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so lousy. Maybe when the Kerberos mission had vanished and he'd feared Shiro dead. Or when Zarkon had told him he fought like a Galra soldier...

Keith shook his head to clear the thought away, cringing as his vision swam.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Shiro asked, instantly stopping his ministrations for fear he'd caused more pain.

"Nothing," Keith grunted. He wanted to sleep for an eternity or down an entire bottle of pain killers. Anything to ease the monumental ache reverberating through his skull.

"You're gonna be fine," Shiro said confidently, sitting back. "The others will find us soon, I'm sure."

Keith tried to ignore the optimism. He could feel his eyes closing, peaceful sleep calling him, but suddenly Shiro was shaking his shoulder.

"No, no, Keith! Come on, open your eyes!"

Begrudgingly Keith pried his eyes open, glaring at Shiro who huffed in relief. "Don't do that to me. We've gotta keep you awake until the others find us and we can put you in a healing pod."

"Mhmm," Keith hummed, blinking sluggishly. Shiro stood up and walked over to one of the consoles, entering a series of commands which turned off the warnings flashing on the screens. Keith could see wisps of grey clouds above them, the sky darkening.

"Where are we?" He asked.

Shiro tried a few diagnostics, his frown deepening at the lack of response. "I'm not sure. Whatever Haggar did to the wormhole, we had no control over where we ended up."

"Lousy druid," Keith grumbled.

Shiro frowned. "I just hope the others are alright."

"Me too," mumbled Keith. He couldn't imagine losing a team member, even Lance. No matter their differences or how much they fought, they all needed each other.

That's when he noticed the absence of Red's connection in his mind. Had his lion been injured during their fight with Zarkon? Or did crashing into a remote planet inflict damage beyond repair? These thoughts and more swirled through Keith's head as he fought to connect with Red but was met with eerie silence.

Keith lunged upright, ignoring the dizziness as the world shifted sideways. He couldn't feel Red. He couldn't _feel_ anything.

"What? Keith, talk to me!"

Shiro was suddenly kneeling in front of him, his hands on Keith's shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"Why can't I feel Red?" Keith demanded, too tired and hurting to care about the tears which had begun to streak down his cheeks. Shiro was looking at him in dismay before strong arms pulled him forward, his head resting against a broad shoulder.

"You're okay, just breathe. You gotta calm down."

Keith could hear a wheezing noise and realized the sound was coming from him. There didn't seem to be enough air in his lungs. He was panicking, he knew it, but that didn't stop the anguish from washing over him. Something was wrong with Red!

"Calm down," Shiro repeated. Slowly Keith relaxed until his breaths evened out and the tightening in his chest eased. Shiro let him go, surveying him like he was worried Keith could break at any moment.

"Red's fine, a little banged up but honestly I'm more worried about you," he said, watching Keith closely. He thumbed away an errant tear and under any other circumstance Keith would feel mortified but at the moment he just couldn't muster the strength to care.

"But why can't I feel our connection?" Keith asked, the panic starting to rise again as he contemplated the possibilities.

"At best you've got a nasty concussion, at worst a skull fracture. If you tried to connect with Red right now the neural load could kill you. Your lion probably knows this and is giving you...space," Shiro explained.

Keith knew he was right, knew there was nothing to worry about, but that didn't stop the nagging sense of foreboding from pointing out that they didn't actually know if Shiro's guess was accurate. Because at the end of the day they were dealing with magical sentient machines. Nothing was "normal" or safe to assume anymore.

Shiro must've seen Keith wanted to argue and sighed, glancing up at the ceiling. "He won't rest until you two are connected, but be careful."

Keith immediately felt Red, a heavy presence at the back of his mind. It was just a whisper but that sent shivers running up his spine as the emptiness of his own thoughts was joined by another. He wondered why Shiro had been so worried, everything was fine...

"I've got you now," Zarkon growled, looming behind Shiro. Keith stiffened. He tried to warn Shiro, tried to move, but it was like his body had been paralyzed. Everything was fading away as his eyes rolled back and he knew no more.

* * *

"I never should've allowed you to connect with Red. You have to wake up," Shiro begged, his voice shaky. "Please."

"I can't do this without you."

Keith fought against the exhaustion weighing him down, his body rebelling against him. But stronger than the temptation of sleep was the broken edge of tears in Shiro's voice. Keith knew his friend needed him and he'd be damned to let unconsciousness hold him back.

He'd lost Shiro once. And he vowed to never let anything separate them again.

Pulling himself into awareness a second time was much easier, partially due to the lack of confusion. He knew where they were and what had happened though that didn't ease the effort it took to open his eyes.

Keith stirred feebly, his head a tangled mess as light filtered through the darkness. He squinted at his hazy and out of focus surroundings, searching for Shiro.

"Keith!"

The sudden rise in volume sent pain skittering throughout his brain, forcing him to clench his eyes closed and wait out the waves of agony until they settled and he was able to try again.

When he opened his eyes things were still blurry but quieter. He could see a dark figure towering above him and instantly panicked, Zarkon's voice echoing in his head. Knowing he was in shape to fight didn't stop Keith from jerking upright as he shoved himself backwards away from the evil warlord.

"Easy, easy it's just me!"

The world was still spinning but his vision was clearing and Keith realized Shiro was kneeling before him, hands raised in a sign of surrender.

"It's me, you're okay," Shiro said. Instantly the fight left Keith and he slid sideways, all the strength leaving his body.

"Keith? Come on talk to me," Shiro said, propping Keith back up against the console. His outline was shadowy but mostly solid in Keith's blurry vision.

As was Zarkon's.

Keith stared in horror at the destroyer of the galaxy, shock and despair warring within him. Even if he wasn't hurt the two of them couldn't take on Zarkon without the help of Pidge, Hunk and Lance. Which meant they were about to be captured. They'd failed.

"Keith?" Shiro asked, glancing over his shoulder at the empty cockpit before turning to look at Keith with concern. "What is it?"

"Z-Z-Zarkon!" Keith stammered, heart beating wildly in his chest. Their enemy was standing a few feet behind Shiro, surveying them with cold, calculating eyes.

Shiro was on his feet and bayard extended before Keith could blink, and in that instant Zarkon disappeared.

"Where is he?!" Shiro yelled, prepared for an attack.

"He...He's gone..." Keith replied, unsure himself.

"He what?" Shiro demanded, turning to glance at Keith before staring at the empty cockpit.

"He was there then he just disappeared," explained Keith, slumping back in exhaustion. Nothing was making sense.

Shiro closed his eyes in silence for a moment before he put away his bayard and looked at Keith with growing worry.

"He's not here. You must've had an hallucination," Shiro said.

Keith shook his head, trying to push himself to his feet. "I know what I saw! He was right behind you!"

Shiro was there, hands gentle but firm as he stopped Keith's upward ascent and guided him back to the floor.

"Relax, you've got a serious head wound. Black isn't picking up anyone else in range. While hallucinations aren't a good sign, we've just got to keep you awake until we can reach the others."

Keith felt the ball of anxiety in his chest loosen at Shiro's words, only to be replaced with a cold numbness. They were stranded and no one was coming to save them. He wasn't fit to walk on his own let alone pilot his lion which left Shiro completely alone if Zarkon really did find them. Though if given the choice, he'd swallow down the pain and push himself to show the evil megalomaniac what a real Paladin fought like.

"I think you should lie down," Shiro suggested, sitting on the floor beside him.

Keith shook his head. He didn't want to lay down. He waited for the dizziness and nausea to abate and when it didn't he began to fear he'd always be useless.

"You're not useless," Shiro said softly.

"Didn't mean to say that out loud," Keith murmured, leaning forward to rest his head in his hands while fighting his heavy eyes.

"It's alright," Shiro said, squeezing his shoulder. Keith felt himself begin drifting and all other thoughts faded.

"Hey, no sleeping!" Shiro ordered, tapping his arm.

Keith sat up, his eyes struggling to stay open. "M'not sleepin'" he slurred.

"It doesn't look like it," Shiro said. He reached out to feel Keith's forehead and Keith swatted at him weakly, stubborn till death.

Shiro sighed. "You've got a fever."

"Just let me sleep," Keith begged. "You can wake me in a few hours. Please."

Shiro surveyed him for a long moment, his eyebrows pulled together in concern. Finally he relented. "Two hours."

Keith smiled ruefully, curling up on his side on the floor. He hoped the others were okay, then all thoughts vanished as unconsciousness took him.

* * *

"Shiro! Keith! Can you hear me? Are you guys alright?" Pidge's voice rang out loud and clear, shattering Keith's sleep. He cringed, curling tighter in on himself.

"Pidge!" Shiro exclaimed. Of course their tech genius had located them. "Its good to hear your voice!"

"Stop yelling," Keith groaned, his head throbbing.

Shiro was suddenly there, his hand squeezing Keith's shoulder. "Keith?"

"Is he okay?" Pidge asked, their voice much quieter.

"When we crashed he hit his head, I think he has a concussion," Shiro replied.

"We should be there soon."

After a moment of silence Shiro nudged Keith. "You still with me?"

"Mhmm," Keith grumbled, head heavy.

"Don't go back to sleep," Shiro warned.

Keith opened his eyes, blinking up at Shiro blearily. He knew what Shiro meant, the worry clear in his voice. Help was finally on the way and it'd be a shame to slip into a coma before they arrived. Keith considered arguing but decided against it upon seeing Shiro's frown. He could already feel the pain building up in his temples, though the thought of being placed in a pod terrified him. There was something about being so vulnerable that he didn't trust.

A distant rumble had Shiro clamoring to his feet and staring skyward as the castle approached.

"Ready to get out of here?" He asked, smiling at Keith.

"Let's do this," Keith replied, hoping his enthusiastic response masked how much pain he actually was in. Shiro bent down and grasped his arm before carefully pulling him to his feet.

The world exploded into constellations. He sagged, distantly aware of Shiro telling him to hold on as his arm was slung over a shoulder and his head lolled forward. Shiro began half-carrying, half-walking Keith out the hatch door and down the small ramp.

Keith tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other but his head was too jumbled with all the signals becoming mixed up. His feet caught on every bump and divet before they reached level ground and a second pair of arms began aiding Shiro in supporting him.

Keith lifted his head, knees weakening as he caught sight of the Galran leader standing nearby.

"I'm so proud of you," Zarkon growled, eying him like a trophy.

"No...Zarkon..." Keith warned, trying to save his teammates.

"What?!" Lance yelped, and Keith turned in surprise to see he was the one helping Shiro carry him. He felt a flicker of annoyance at the panic on Lance's face, but the thought disappeared as he stumbled and Lance tightened the arm around his waist.

"Let's get him to the castle," Shiro said.

Keith lost time after that, everything melding into a long drawn out tunnel of agony and confusion. It felt as if they'd been walking for days, and when Keith's legs finally gave out he was surprised to find himself being lowered onto a chair.

"Keith?" Lance asked, bending down to look at him. Keith wanted to say he was fine but everything was spinning around him he feared if he opened his mouth he'd puke on Lance's shoes.

"What happened?" Allura was there, eyes appraising him in worry.

"Red had no power when we fell out of the wormhole so they crashed pretty hard. He was unconscious for maybe fifteen minutes, and he's been dizzy and nauseous," Shiro explained, standing behind Lance and the princess looking concerned.

"What did he mean when he said Zarkon?" Lance asked, glancing at Shiro.

Shiro shifted. "I think he's been hallucinating."

"M'okay," Keith sighed, closing his eyes. He hated having everyone hovering.

"Dude, you obviously aren't," Lance said, his voice missing his usual sarcasm. Keith opened his eyes and looked at him, shocked to see the worry evident in Lance's expression.

"The pods are still out of commission, we have damage in some major power systems. It'll be a while before we get them all fixed," Coran said, walking over with Pidge and Hunk.

"So what do we do until then?" Shiro asked. Keith looked up at his teammates, surprised to see their concern for him. He expected it from Shiro but not the others.

"Let me sleep, I'll be fine," Keith replied, shrugging off Allura's hand on his shoulder before rising to his feet.

Keith's vision went white again as a roaring filled his ears. Hands were there, steadying him as he was guided back down to the chair. Eventually the roaring dissipated and Keith was suddenly aware of someone repeating his name.

"Keith?" Shiro asked, sounding close. "Can you hear me?"

Keith nodded slowly, struggling to blink away the blinding white and relieved when his vision gradually returned to normal. Shiro was crouched in front of him, his shoulders minutely relaxing as Keith looked at him. Allura, Lance, Pidge, Coran and Hunk stood behind Shiro, all surveying Keith with varying levels of unease.

"Just relax," Shiro said.

"You should get some rest," suggested Hunk.

Pidge nodded. "We can handle the repairs."

"I'll start the diagnostic," Coran said, leading Pidge and Hunk from the room.

Allura turned to Keith. "We should get you to bed."

"Finally," he grunted, ready to lie down. Shiro helped him to his feet and Keith focused on not puking all over his friends while his stomach clenched.

"You okay?" Shiro asked, gripping his arm tightly for fear Keith would topple at any moment. Keith shrugged, careful to keep the movement to a minimum. Everything was growing blurry.

"Hold on," Shiro said, slipping Keith's arm over his shoulders and guiding him forward. Keith grabbed the one thing he could : Shiro's uniform on his upper arm, and held onto it like a lifeline. After only a few steps he was eased down onto a soft mattress and was surprised to find himself on one of five beds lining the far wall of the med bay.

"I didn't know these were here," he said, looking at Allura and Lance before turning to Shiro as he perched on the edge of the bed beside him. "Thanks for helping me."

"Any time," Shiro smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Think you can let go now?"

"Huh?" Keith asked, glancing down at his hand which was still tightly gripping Shiro's uniform. Slowly his fingers relaxed, letting the fabric go.

"You told me to hold on," he said.

Shiro nodded, patting Keith's knee. "You did great."

"Lance and I will go help with repairs, but if you need anything don't hesitate to call," Allura said.

"I hope you feel better," Lance added, actually sounding sincere. Keith watched them leave the room before daring to glance at Shiro, suddenly fearful he would leave too.

Shiro seemed to read his mind as he stood up and dragged a chair over. "I'll stay with you, I have to wake you every few hours to check your concussion anyways."

"Thank you," Keith mumbled, looking away. He knew he should get out of his armor and boots but the effort seemed daunting. Yet again Shiro knew him better than he gave him credit for.

"Let me help," he said, reaching out and beginning to unzip Keith's armor before pulling first his left then his right arm free, leaving him clothed in his simple red t-shirt. Keith shivered, cold without the armors welcome heat, but Shiro missed it as he tugged off Keith's boots and set them on the floor at the end of the bed and slung the armor over the back of his chair.

"Better?" He asked, sitting down and surveying him. Keith nodded, too exhausted for words.

"Lie down," Shiro instructed. "I'm not going anywhere."

Keith laid down, slowly curling up on his side. He was mortified to feel tears leak down his cheeks and run into his hair. His head was all jumbled and even the simple task of letting his friend take care of him was proving overwhelming.

Shiro sighed, leaning forward. "What's wrong?" he asked softly.

"I'm afraid I'll see Zarkon as soon as I close my eyes," Keith admitted, voice shaky. More tears were falling and he realized he was legitimately terrified of his hallucination.

"I'll be right here, and I promise if Zarkon does show up I won't let him touch you," Shiro promised. "You trust me?"

Keith nodded. Of course he did. He would follow Shiro across the universe and straight into battle against the entire Galra empire if his friend asked him to.

"Close your eyes," Shiro said. Keith did as he was told, his body instantly relaxing as he sank deeper into the mattress.

"I'm never gonna leave you."

At those whispered words Keith let sleep claim him.


	2. The Trial

"I can find you anywhere."

Keith jackknifed upright, his eyes struggling to interpret what they were seeing. Everything seemed disjointed and blurry and he vaguely recognized the healing pods in the center of the med bay, but it was as if his mind was still trapped in a dream. He couldn't be sure if what he was seeing was real.

The sound of the door opening had him stumbling to his bare feet. As he raised his fists the room spun around him and he felt himself tipping sideways, the floor sliding away beneath him.

"Whoa, easy!" Shiro materialized at his side, steady hands keeping him from face planting as he guided him back to the edge of the bed. Keith gladly sat down as the world continued titling around him.

"Hey, you with me?" Shiro asked, hands still gripping his shoulders.

"I'm alright," Keith grumbled, batting Shiro's hands away. "What happened?"

Shiro kept close by as he surveyed Keith with a concerned look. "You were supposed to be asleep. I leave you alone for five minutes and come back to find you trying to make a run for it."

"I don't remember how I got here," Keith admitting, glancing around.

"Maybe you should try to get more rest," suggested Shiro. Keith wracked his brain for any recollection of what had happened, but it was all a jumbled mess. The headache wasn't helping.

Shiro noticed his confusion. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Keith replied automatically, unsure of how true that was. His head was pounding and his vision kept flickering, but he wasn't aware of any other injuries.

"You've got a concussion," Shiro explained. "Some dizziness and confusion is normal." Keith opened his mouth to ask how the hell he got a concussion when Pidge's voice echoed through the castle's intercom.

"Allura is ready to make the wormhole jump to the coordinates you gave us. Is Keith still sleeping?" they asked.

"He's awake, we'll be on the bridge in a minute," Shiro replied.

"Tell mullet head I'm glad his hair protected him!" Lance chimed in.

"Everyone's been worried about you," Shiro chuckled, holding out his hand. Keith took it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, shaking off the worsening headache. He spotted his armor and boots sitting on a nearby chair and quickly pulled them on. There was no way he would let his team fight against Zarkon without him.

"You sure you're feeling okay?" Shiro asked as they walked down the hall towards the bridge.

"Getting there," Keith admitted. "What coordinates was Pidge talking about?"

Shiro flexed his robotic arm. "I had a dream or a memory, I'm not sure. Someone helped me escape the Galra and when I had Pidge check there were coordinates uploaded into my arm's hardware. We decided to go check it out."

"Wait, go check it out?" Keith demanded, stopping in his tracks. "It could be a trap!"

"Allura said the same thing," Shiro said, turning to face him. "But we have to know if we have allies out there, willing to help us fight against Zarkon. And there was this image I kept seeing that I swear I've seen before."

"What image?"

Shiro pulled out a scrap of paper and handed it to Keith with a small drawing of what looked like an ancient glyph. And every argument that Keith had been preparing to force Shiro to see that going to some mysterious coordinates was a bad idea died in his throat. Because he KNEW that symbol.

"What is it?" Shiro asked as Keith reached behind him and pulled out his dagger, etched with the same symbol on the hilt. Slowly he handed it to Shiro and watched as he compared the dagger and the drawing and realization dawned.

"How do you have this?" he asked, looking at Keith.

Keith swallowed, trying to think of a way to explain that would make any sense. "My dad told me it was my mom's, but I...I don't know how she could be connected to whoever saved you."

Shiro handed the dagger back and Keith quickly tucked it into its scabbard strapped to the back of his belt.

"Please just don't tell the others until we find out more," Keith begged.

Shiro gently placed his hand on Keith's shoulder. "When you're ready, we'll tell them," he promised.

Keith nodded, trying to stay optimistic. On one hand they would hopefully meet some allies to help them save the universe and he might finally learn more about his mother. Or it could be a trap and his mom might not be the wonderful person his father had always told him she was. His dad had died before giving him any real details about her, and he was always vague whenever Keith asked where she had gone to.

Reluctantly Keith followed Shiro onto the bridge.

"Since we don't know what to expect I've raised the particle barrier," Coran said, watching his monitors while Allura guided the castle through the wormhole. Hunk, Pidge and Lance were already in their battle positions, each turning when they heard Shiro and Keith approach.

"How are you feeling?" Pidge asked, looking at Keith.

"Better," he replied. He felt his face warming having everyone staring at him but as the castle exited the wormhole thankfully their attention was diverted.

"What is that?" asked Hunk. Two black holes circled a giant blue star with a small asteroid nestled in the very middle, the coordinates guiding them straight towards it.

Lance shook his head. "This must be a joke."

"We are NOT going in there!" Allura said.

"We have to go! There is no other option!"

All eyes were once again on Keith. Even he was amazed he had voiced his opinion so resolutely. Normally it was easier to stay near the back, blend in and not be too vocal rather than have everyone looking at him like they were currently…

"Geez calm down," Lance said, motioning downward with his hands.

"We're being hailed!" Coran shouted.

"Open a frequency," ordered Shiro, watching Coran enter the command into his monitor. "We are the paladins of Voltron, sent here by Ulaz."

For a tense moment it was quiet. Then, "Four may enter. Come unarmed."

"Unarmed?" Allura demanded as the communications link with the base ended. "This doesn't feel right."

"We didn't come all this way just to give up now," Shiro said, turning to look at the others. "Lance, Keith, and Pidge will go with me in the red lion, since it can withstand the heat from that sun. Hunk, you stay on guard here with Allura and Coran."

"I'll hold down the fort," Hunk agreed.

"They just sent us a route to the base, but we'll have to be quick about it. It's only open for another varga then it closes for two quintants," Coran said.

"They're gonna close it for two years?" asked Lance incredulously.

"Two days," Pidge corrected.

"Oh."

"Be careful!" Allura warned. "Once the route closes we won't be able to help you if something goes wrong."

* * *

"This is cozy," Keith grumbled as Shiro, Lance and Pidge crowded around him while they flew towards the base. His head was hurting worse than before but he refused to mention that, not when he was so close to finally getting some answers about his mom.

"Are we sure this is the right place?" Lance asked after they landed. Keith turned to snap at him when a doorway in the side of the asteroid opened before them and two masked guards stepped out.

"Looks like it," said Shiro.

They were led into the base, passing numerous closed doors and branching hallways. It had seemed much smaller from the outside. Finally they entered what appeared to be a large gathering hall where more guards stood at attention. Keith noticed they all wore the same mask and armor, including the leader standing at the top of the steps in front of them.

"I am Kolivan, leader of the Blade of Marmora."

"My name's Shiro, and this is Keith, Lance and Pidge. We are paladins of Voltron."

"I know who you are," Kolivan said. "Ulaz should not have divulged this base's location to you. He had a tendency to ignore orders and always followed his impulses. That's what got him killed."

"He gave his life to save us!" Shiro argued. "He brought us here, and Voltron is ready to assist you in your fight against Zarkon. Are we welcome here or not?"

"You were told to come unarmed," Kolivan said as one of the guards standing behind Keith grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, slamming him down onto the ground and unsheathing his dagger.

"Keith!"

"He has one of our blades. Who did you steal this from?" the guard demanded, pressing down harder on Keith's arm.

"I didn't steal it! My father gave it to me," Keith replied.

"Liar!"

Keith fought to stay calm as the weight on his arm and back increased. "He said it belonged to my mother."

"We can't trust them," the guard declared, looking at Kolivan.

"I saw Ulaz had a knife like this. Tell me what it means," Keith begged, looking up at Kolivan.

"Our organization is built on secrecy and trust. If your father claims the blade belonged to your mother then she should give you the answers you seek," Kolivan replied.

"She left when I was a baby!" Keith shouted, growling in frustration. He would never in a million years share such personal information with his teammates, let alone complete strangers, but he had to gain their trust somehow.

"We came here to form an alliance but obviously we're not welcome. Let him go and we'll leave," Shiro said.

The guard released Keith and he slowly rose to his feet, holding his bruised arm. He glared up at Kolivan. "I'm not leaving without some answers."

He could feel Shiro, Lance and Pidge staring at him but he didn't care. "Somehow one of your knives ended up with me on planet Earth. Tell me how. Did you know my mother?"

"Your friend is right, you should go," Kolivan said, turning to leave.

"Who was she? I have to know!"

Kolivan stopped, slowly turning to look back at Keith. "You seek knowledge? There is only one way to attain knowledge here."

"I'll do it!"

"Should you survive the trials, you may keep the blade and its secrets will be revealed," Kolivan explained.

"Survive? Keith, this is crazy! If they're not going to help us we should get out of here," Shiro said, grabbing Keith's shoulder.

"I can't leave. I have to do this," Keith said, looking from Shiro to Pidge and Lance. He hoped they would understand.

"The trials result in only one of two things : knowledge or death."

* * *

"I guess I really wasn't supposed to go through that door," Keith mumbled, holding his left arm stable as his shoulder throbbed. After exiting the chute he'd expected to be faced with more fighters but thankfully the hallway was empty.

Crouching low, he pulled his arms in tight against his body as he fought to calm his breathing. Panicking wouldn't help him, and if he stopped the trials he might never know who his mother really was.

"Hey," Shiro said, causing Keith to jerk to his feet. Shiro, Lance, Pidge and Hunk were there, all smiling at him.

"You can do this!"

"We're all here for you!"

"Don't quit now!"

* * *

"His suit has the programming to create a virtual mindscape, reflecting the wearer's strongest desire or fear. And at this moment, your friend desperately wants to see you," Kolivan explained to Shiro, Pidge and Lance as they stood in front of a large monitor watching Keith talk to their holographic doppelgangers.

"You're messing with his head!" Lance objected, glaring at Kolivan. "How is that a fair fight?"

More fighters filled Keith's hallway while the team's holograms vanished. Keith looked stricken for a moment as he realized he was alone before he lifted his knife and prepared to fight.

"We've seen enough, you need to stop this," Shiro demanded.

Kolivan looked at him, his expression unreadable through his mask. "Knowledge or death."

* * *

Keith began fighting the latest wave of fighters, pushing his body well past its limit. It was obvious he was exhausted and injured, his left arm hanging useless at his side and blood coating the right side of his face from a deep cut on his forehead. But he would not stop. He couldn't. He HAD to know who his mother was, even if it killed him.

Everything slowed down to the swinging of his blade and staying upright. Nothing else mattered.

Slash.

Stab.

Duck.

Slash.

Dive.

Kick.

Block.

Each thrust made his arm burn and his chest ache, but Keith refused to stop.

* * *

Suddenly the base shook and dust fell from the ceiling.

"What was that?" Pidge asked, glancing around fearfully.

A guard raced into the room. "The red lion is attacking our base!"

Kolivan whirled on them. "Call off your beast!"

"The red lion has a link with Keith, it knows when he's in danger. It's coming for him!" Shiro explained, gesturing at the monitor where they watched as Keith slowly grew weaker.

"He won't stop, no matter what. And if something happens to him, his lion will destroy your entire base," Lance said.

Kolivan and Shiro watched each other in silence before Kolivan looked at the guard still standing in the door.

"End the trials."

Shiro, Lance and Pidge didn't wait for Kolivan's permission before racing from the observation deck towards the sound of fighting, knowing that's where Keith would be.

* * *

Keith staggered, his eyesight going black around the edges. Something was wrong. All of the fighters had stopped and were standing around him, their heavy breathing the only sound in the room.

"Keith!" Shiro called. Keith turned, surprised to see Shiro, Lance and Pidge running towards him. He couldn't tell if they were real or imaginary like last time but as his knees hit the floor he hoped someone really was coming for him.

"It's okay, we've got you," Shiro said, he and Lance pulling Keith to his feet. Shiro wrapped his arm around Keith's side to avoid his injured shoulder while Lance pulled his other arm around his neck and Pidge held their bayard out and ready.

"Red is attacking the base, can you make her stop?" Lance asked, looking at him.

Keith nodded. So that was what she was doing. She had been progressively growing more and more agitated over the course of his fight, but he had tried ignoring her as the trial continued. Maybe that had been a mistake.

 _"Red? Hey girl, I'm okay. Just a little banged up. You can stop trying to kill everyone now,"_ he said telepathically, hoping she would listen.

"We need to get out of here," Shiro said as they hurried from the room. Keith wanted to ask where they were going and if this was part of the trial but his thoughts kept slipping away before he could speak. He tried to stay awake as they followed numerous hallways back to the main entrance, where Kolivan and two guards stood waiting for them.

"He doesn't look happy," Pidge said as they approached.

"Your beast has stopped their attack. The trial may commence, if you wish."

"We're leaving," Shiro said, tightening his grip around Keith's waist.

"Wait, no, I can't leave!" Keith shouted, trying to weakly pull away from Shiro and Lance to no avail.

"Without finishing the trial, you will not be granted knowledge about your mother," Kolivan said, looking directly at Keith. "We can not answer your questions."

"I have to know!" Keith argued, mortified as he felt hot tears splash down his cheeks.

"Keith, this knowledge isn't worth your life," Shiro said softly. "We'll find it another way."

"I have to know," Keith cried, the tears falling harder. He was so close, he couldn't give up. Kolivan nodded once at Shiro and then they were walking outside, back towards red, but Keith didn't stop fighting to break free from his friends tight grips.

"It's okay," Lance murmured as they climbed the ramp into red and gently lowered him onto the floor behind the pilot's seat. As red lifted off Pidge knelt beside him, repeating that he was going to be alright.

Keith pulled his knees to his chest and buried his face. Even though the position tore at his aching ribs and made his head pound and shoulder throb even worse than before. Even though he knew it was futile nearly dying for information about a mom he had never met and didn't even know. Even though it wouldn't help him find her. He wanted nothing more than to return to the Blade and seek the knowledge he so desperately wanted.

In the background Lance and Shiro were talking quietly. Allura and Coran's voices soon joined the noise bouncing around inside his head, but Keith couldn't focus on any of them. All he could handle was the shattered heart thumping wildly in his chest.

He had failed.

The flight back to the castle was short. Before the ramp was even fully opened Keith was stumbling to his feet and out of his lion. Shiro was calling his name but he ignored him, needing to put as much distance between himself and the others as possible before he completely lost it.

He was nearly out of the hangar when someone grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. He tried shaking them off but he nearly blacked out as the movement pulled at his shoulder which began pulsing with renewed vigor. Then there were hands gripping either side of his face and Shiro was there and he couldn't breathe…

"Hey, it's okay," Shiro soothed. "Just breathe. Come on, you gotta calm down."

Keith tried to do as he was told, fighting against the well of despair threatening to engulf him. He recognized that soft tone, the one that sounded like Shiro was talking to a wounded animal. It was the same one he'd used on Keith when they first met and he felt cornered. It was what had broken through the fog of confusion.

Now all it did was make his heart break a bit more. Because as Keith mourned his mom he was holding onto the only brother he'd ever had. The only one that ever believed in him, that made him feel like he wasn't a waste of time. That he had potential and was a valuable member of the team.

"Nice and slow."

Slowly the panic ebbed leaving Keith weaker than before. He wanted to tell Shiro he was fine but once again Shiro had wrapped an arm around his waist as he guided him towards the infirmary. Soon enough he was being deposited back onto one of the beds against the far wall while Pidge, Allura and Coran argued nearby.

"What's wrong?" Keith asked after Allura shouted something about humans and their barbarism.

"The pods still aren't functional, so we might have to use some good 'ol fashioned Earth style first aid to patch you up," Shiro explained. Hunk and Lance approached with a box of what appeared to be never before used medical supplies.

"This is all the castle has," Hunk said, setting the box down on the chair beside Keith.

"We'll have to make do with that then," Shiro said, rifling through it. He looked at Keith. "We don't have any anesthesia so you'll feel every bit of this, but your head definitely needs stitches and your shoulder might too."

"Just do it," Keith huffed resignedly. Using his one good arm he scooted himself further back onto the bed, his legs stretched out in front of him. Lance and Hunk helped cut off the ruined fight suit that Kolivan had given him while Shiro pulled out a roll of gauze and a needle and thread.

"Allura, do you have anything we could use for disinfectant?" Shiro asked, glancing over at the princess.

"I think we might have something like that, one tic," Coran said before hurrying over to the other side of the room.

"Oh man," Hunk groaned, looking green. Keith turned his head to try and see how badly his shoulder was damaged but he couldn't at that angle.

"That's...bad," Lance whistled. Keith glared at him.

"Are you sure this is necessary?" Allura asked as she and Pidge joined them. "This seems so counterproductive."

"The pods aren't working, and without them he's at risk of infection or blood loss. Stitching the wounds closed will help the healing process. It's what we do on Earth since we don't have any magic," Pidge explained. Allura opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to object, but then she saw his shoulder and her argument died. Then Coran was there with the antiseptic.

"Alright Keith, just try to stay as still as possible," Shiro instructed as he poured some disinfectant onto his hands then the needle and thread before splashing more onto Keith's shoulder. Hunk and Lance stepped forward to hold down his legs while Coran took hold of his uninjured shoulder and Pidge stood at the ready with the supplies. Allura stepped forward, tightly gripping Keith's elbow and forearm so as to give Shiro as much working space as possible.

"This is gonna hurt," Shiro warned. Keith nodded once, mouth gone dry. He almost wished for something to bite down on when the needle slid into the inflamed skin of his shoulder. He groaned, his active nerve endings sparking.

"Keep breathing," Allura said, rubbing his arm with her thumb. Keith tried to do as he was told but the pain was worsening and he could feel himself teetering on the edge of unconsciousness as Shriro threaded the needle through his skin yet again. He hissed, closing his eyes as he waited for the pain to subside.

A third stitch and Keith's head was tipping back against the wall, his breathing ragged. A fourth stitch and he could feel the hot and cold waves lapping over his body. A fifth stitch and the ringing in his ears was deafening, drowning out the sound of his friends around him.

"Almost done," Shiro said, his voice coming from a great distance. Keith wanted to say he was fine but the sixth and final stitch sent him careening into the darkness and he knew no more.


	3. Family

_A tall woman with short black hair stood in front of Keith, her back to him._

 _"You gave up on me."_

 _"Mom?" Keith asked, walking towards her. He reached out to touch her, but before he could she was several feet away._

 _"You didn't even try. You just gave up. Maybe you don't want to find me after all."_

 _"Wait, no!" Keith shouted as she vanished._

 _"Mom!"_

Keith jerked awake, the dream still haunting him. He looked around the dimly lit med bay, the chair beside his bed empty. The lights were muted and the castle was quiet, which meant everyone was asleep. But he knew there was no chance he'd be getting any more rest after that.

Absentmindedly he scratched at his forehead, surprised to feel a bandage peeking out from under his hair. Then he remembered, and gingerly reached for his shoulder. It was bulky and wrapped in an extensive amount of bandages, but it didn't hurt as much as he expected which he supposed was a good sign.

Lying there staring at the ceiling seemed like a recipe for disaster. He didn't do well when he was bored. So Keith slipped on his boots before quietly padding down the hall towards the training deck. The castle was running on auxiliary power while everyone slept, which Keith was thankful for. He knew what they would say if they caught him. But whenever he was feeling bored training was the only thing that would help him put everything into prospective.

Of course, with his shoulder non functional he would still have to take it easy.

"Begin training sequence," he said, braced and ready with his sword. The gladiator dropped from the ceiling, rising into a fighting stance with a sword pointed at Keith.

"Let's do this."

* * *

"Maybe that wasn't a good idea," Keith mumbled to himself as he slowly walked down the hall away from the training deck. The gladiator hadn't gone easy on him and after only a few minutes his head was throbbing and every cut and ache was becoming more pronounced. He was almost ashamed to end the training sequence so early but with only one arm it wasn't long before he was too tired to continue.

He just needed to make it to his room before any of the others woke up and realized what he was doing. But halfway there he was starting to feel woozy as the castle walls seemed to fluctuate around him. Knowing his body well enough to feel when he was pushing his limits, he leaned against the wall and waited for the bout to pass.

Of course his legs took that opportunity to fail him, leaving him sitting in a heap on the floor. Keith didn't mind though. He had the brilliant idea of laying down and wondered why no one else ever tried it. The floor was cold on his hot skin.

"Keith?"

Snapping his eyes open, he was surprised to see Lance crouched in front of him, surveying him with concern.

"What are you doing out here?"

"I needed to take a walk," Keith lied, wanting to push himself upright and appear strong but knowing he didn't dare move.

Lance gave him an appraising look. "Wearing your armor?"

"I…" Keith began, trying to come up with another lie, but his head hurt too much to think straight. "I was training."

"Training?!" Lance exploded. "What the hell were you thinking, training while you're hurt? You could've died in there!"

"I'm fine!" Keith argued, still laying on his side. "I don't need a babysitter."

"Yah, that's why you're lying on the floor," Lance snapped, rocking back on his heels. "I'm getting Shiro."

"It's not that big of a deal," Keith grumbled, watching Lance's retreating form. He blinked heavily, suddenly unable to fight the pull of sleep. Maybe when Lance and Shiro returned they could help him to bed. He didn't think he'd make it otherwise.

* * *

A gentle hand on his arm startled Keith into the land of awareness. Shiro's blurry figure hovered beside him.

"Wha's goin on?" Keith slurred, blinking slowly. His vision was flickering. Maybe he had pushed himself too far attempting to train. He could hear other voices talking nearby, and someone was saying something about moving him, but Keith was too tired to keep his eyes open.

"Pidge and Coran fixed the pods," Shiro replied. Keith froze.

"I don't need one," he argued. He was surprised to find himself still lying in the hallway.

Shiro didn't hear him, looking over his shoulder. "Lance, help me get him up."

Lance appeared, and together they managed to get Keith to his feet. Reluctantly he allowed them to start carrying him towards the med bay, their jumbled voices echoing in his head.

"...and a pod is the best thing for you right now. We need you healthy in case there's a fight," Shiro said, his arm around Keith's waist.

"Yah, you've got broken ribs and your shoulder is a mess, and the concussion isn't helping," chimed in Lance. Keith wanted to argue with him but he was feeling too miserable to bother. Their trek felt endless, and he was preparing to comment on that when they walked into the med bay.

Naturally, Keith balked.

"I promise you'll be okay," Shiro vowed, gently guiding him further into the room.

"This is the safest medical procedure in the galaxy," Coran piped up, patting the pod encouragingly.

Pidge nodded. "And with my modifications you'll be out of there even faster than Lance or Shiro."

"Seriously? You couldn't have tweaked it before?" Lance asked.

Pidge shrugged.

"Let's get this over with," Keith grumbled. Allura stepped forward, handing him a gray garment. Ignoring Shiro's offer to help, he stumbled over to the adjoined bathroom where he struggled to change into the suit.

After twenty minutes and plenty of cursing and grumbling, Keith staggered out of the stall. Shiro was immediately at his side, hand gripping his elbow as he brought him back over to the others. And though he hated the idea of being asleep suspended in healing goo while they watched, he figured it was a better alternative than waiting for his shoulder and ribs and head and...he was hurt more than he cared to categorize. And he was tired of it.

"How long will this take?" Keith asked as Shiro helped him step into the pod, his feet already submerged. Pidge had tried to explain what the chemicals consisted of, but with his headache Keith had quickly stopped them.

"A few hours, at least," Hunk replied, checking the monitor.

"You have multiple serious injuries that the pod has to categorize then heal. It'll probably be a day or two," Pidge corrected.

"Great," Keith grumbled, clenching his fists at his side to hide how badly they were shaking. But one look at Shiro nearly broke his resolve.

"One of us will stay with you at all times, so you're never alone. Just relax and let the pod do its work. We'll see you soon," Shiro said, smiling softly. "And relax." Keith nodded, as ready as he would ever be.

Coran pressed a button on the monitor and the glass doors slid shut with a hiss as the pod began rapidly filling. For a moment Keith panicked, thinking he was about to drown in front of his friends, when a blast of cool air hit his face. He breathed in deeply, tasting the tangy aerosolized anesthesia.

Blinking heavily, he glanced at his friends all standing before him. Shiro nodded, taking a deep breath. Keith emulated him, filling his lungs with even more medicine as the goo reached his waist. Pidge, Hunk and Coran were checking the systems which seemed to be working just fine. Allura was smiling at him. And even Lance gave him a thumbs up.

Keith felt his eyes growing heavier, and try as he might to keep them open, he lost the fight and soon slipped into a deep, peaceful sleep.

* * *

It barely seemed he had closed his eyes when the pod was collapsing around him, the goo being replaced with sweet oxygen. Hands were there to steady him and guide him down to the steps where he sat shaking, his knees drawn to his chest, as a blanket was draped around his shoulders.

"How is he?"

"Pod says he's back to 100%, though it did flag some concerns."

"Concerns?"

Keith opened his eyes, looking up at his team gathered around him. Shiro was sitting beside him with his arm around him, trying to lend him some of his heat. Apparently part of the healing process was dropping your body temperature, which Keith loathed.

"There were some old injuries the pod tried to heal but they had already calcified which means they probably happened…"

"When he was a kid."

All eyes turned to Shiro. Keith pulled the blanket tighter around himself, avoiding their stares.

"He was in a bad car crash when he was younger," Shiro explained. "That's where the old injuries are from."

Shiro's arm tightened around Keith's shoulders and he burrowed closer to him, thankful. He hated thinking of those memories, of waking up in the hospital with a case worker telling him his dad was dead. His broken arm and collarbone healed faster than the emotional wounds.

Pulling him to his feet, Shiro kept a steady hand on his back as Keith worked to regain his balance.

"I'm so sorry," Hunk said, suddenly embracing him in a crushing hug. Then Pidge, Lance and Coran joined in, and even Allura and Shiro.

"Okay guys, I'm alright," Keith mumbled from the center of their hug fest. He wanted to fight against their affection, against their concern and friendship. But part of him warmed at the thought that they cared. That someone in the universe, besides Shiro, actually cared. It was nice.

"Anyone hungry?" Lance asked, earning a few snickers.

"I'm starving," Keith admitted.

* * *

Hunk was humming to himself while he clattered around in the kitchen with what sounded like every pot and pan they had. Keith, Shiro, Lance, Pidge, Allura and Coran sat on the bar stools in front of him, eagerly awaiting his latest concoction.

"Ta da!" Hunk announced, turning and handing each of them a steaming bowl of purple soup. While the color was unusual, it smelled like...

"Chicken noodle soup!" Hunk grinned. "I had to fudge some of the ingredients but I think I got the recipe down."

Keith hesitantly took a small sip, fully aware of Hunk watching him with bated breath. He was prepared to lie in order to save their budding chef's feelings but was moderately surprised.

"It tastes just like I remember it," he said, taking another spoon full. Hunk beamed.

"Eat up, there's plenty!"

Keith nodded, preoccupied with the soup. He could hear the others heartily slurping away at their own bowls, and within moments he realized his was empty.

"More please," Lanced said, holding out his bowl for a second helping. Keith followed suit, glad to feel his shoulder able to handle the movement with no twinge of pain or discomfort.

"Maybe after everyone's eaten we can get some training in," Shiro suggested.

"Mwfrf," Pidge mumbled around their spoon.

"What?" Keith asked.

"Great," Lance translated. Soon everyone erupted into chuckles. It felt nice to be together, all healthy and moderately happy, for the time being. The war wasn't over, but at least they had each other.


	4. Lost Paladin

**[A/N : Sorry for the confusion, I reorganized the chapters to flow a bit more seamlessly. Kept all of the content though (: enjoy!]**

Keith checked the scanner for what felt like the millionth time, growling in frustration when yet another sweep of their area showed no distress beacons or human DNA. But he wasn't giving up. Shiro was out there, somewhere, and he was going to find him.

Pidge had modified the scanner yesterday after their disastrous battle with Zarkon. Yesterday. It didn't feel like mere hours since Shiro had vanished. It already felt like a lifetime ago.

He didn't care how long it took, he was going to find Shiro. His brother was out there somewhere, possibly injured, and Keith wouldn't rest until he'd brought him home. As long as the others helped him or stayed out of his way everything would be fine.

Grabbing the scanner, Keith quickly left the room. There was only one place he wanted to be.

"Shiro?" Keith whispered, sitting on the floor of the black lion's cockpit with his back against the pilot's seat. The empty seat, where Shiro had been before he vanished.

"Please," he begged. He'd been praying ever since they landed in the hangar with the black lion held aloft by green and red. With the others following him when he sprinted across the room meant he couldn't completely fall apart when he rushed inside the cockpit only to find his brother gone.

He might accept the occasional group hug, but crying in front of the others? Never.

And he'd been doing a damn fine job of avoiding them for the past few hours, but he'd been lucky. The castle wasn't big enough that he could avoid them forever; eventually they'd catch him and he wouldn't be able to escape.

Knowing full well that someone was bound to come looking in the black lion sooner rather than later, he took that as his cue and quickly left. Red sent him a soft growl through their connection as he walked past. Even she was worried about Shiro.

"Keith, we've been looking for you," Allura said as she and the others entered the hangar. Keith stopped, wishing he'd been quicker. He wasn't ready to face them and their pity. It wouldn't help bring Shiro back.

"Hunk, Lance and Pidge are leaving to meet with our allies to see who is willing to stand with us against Zarkon. It would be helpful if you joined," she explained.

Keith remained silent, weighing his options. The last thing he wanted to do was go beg others to help them. Not when he could be searching the system for Shiro. But pissing off his team seemed like more of a hassle than it was worth.

"We were hoping that seeing four lions would be more calming than only three," Hunk added. "Though everyone wants to see Voltron, except we don't have Voltron anymore."

"We don't have Shiro anymore either. Everyone seems to have forgotten that," Keith snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It may be difficult to accept, but perhaps it's time to find a new pilot fo the black lion," Allura suggested softly.

The room went silent while everyone stared at her in shock.

""No!" Keith shouted. "I'm gonna find him. Shiro is the only person who never gave up on me. You might have, but I won't give up on him!"

He turned and walked back towards red, his mind made up.

"Keith, wait!" Allura called after him, but he ignored her.

* * *

It'd been nearly ten hours of aimlessly flying through asteroid belts and space debris, his heart racing every time the scanner pinged off a potential target. But each was a false positive. And Keith could feel the exhaustion setting in.

The last time he'd slept was the night before they fought Zarkon. He hadn't been able to rest ever since, not with the thought of Shiro being lost somewhere out there looming over him. It was a waking nightmare he couldn't shake himself from.

"Ke…"

"...th...he...me?"

Keith checked his monitors, realizing he was about to pass out of the castle's range. Quickly he stopped red. The choice was clear. Turn around and return to the castle empty handed, or continue searching for Shiro without having any back up or support. Red growled softly in the back of his mind and Keith cursed. Of course his lion was right, even if he didn't want to listen.

Turning around, he began flying back to the castle.

"Anything?" Lance asked as Keith slowly walked down the ramp into the hangar, greeted by his teammates and Allura and Coran.

Keith shook his head no, too tired to explain. "I'm wiped. I gotta crash."

"There's a group of emissaries waiting to meet with us, if you would be up for it?" Allura asked.

Keith sighed. He just wanted to get to his bed and sleep for the next week.

"Please?" Hunk begged. "Two empty chairs isn't gonna look good."

"Fine," he sighed, reluctantly following the others to the meeting hall.

Of course the emissaries didn't seem to notice Shiro's empty seat, they were too preoccupied with sampling all the different meals Hunk had created. And the castle looked cleaner than ever. Apparently everyone had been busy while he'd been gone.

"I would like to thank each of you for coming," Allura said, standing at the head of the table. "As our allies, we are overjoyed that you are willing to join Voltron in our fight against Zarkon."

"The legend tells of five pilots, but I only see four," one emissary said, glancing at the paladins. "Where is the black pilot?"

Keith tensed. He'd hoped they wouldn't noticed, or if they did they wouldn't comment on it.

"During our last fight against Zarkon, the pilot of the black lion disappeared," Allura explained, glancing at Keith and the others. "Though we still have our four remaining pilots and their lions."

"So you can't form Voltron?"

"Correct," Keith replied, crossing his arms across his chest.

"What he means is they can't form Voltron right now but…" Allura began, attempting to smooth the concerns evident from each of the emissaries.

"Shiro was the pilot of the black lion, and until we find him there is no Voltron," Keith snapped.

"Then we're defenseless! Our people have heard the legend of Voltron, how you faced Zarkon in battle. What are we supposed to tell them now?" another emissary asked.

"Tell them to stand up and fight for themselves!" Keith shouted, jumping to his feet with his hands braced on the table in front of him. He leaned forward, looking at each of the emissaries. "Voltron is gone!"

He stormed from the room, barely aware of the silence left in his wake over the ringing in his ears.

Stomping down the hallway, Keith didn't notice where his feet were taking him. Until the door slid open and he realized he was in Shiro's room. Everything was exactly how he'd left it; bed perfectly made, coat hanging on the wall, no momentos lying around. Shiro always traveled light. All he needed was a weapon and some clothes.

Keith stumbled forward, collapsing on Shiro's bed. He needed to be close to something that was his, needed it now more than ever.

A sob burst from his traitorous throat as he curled up on his side, lost in the wave of emotions that threatened to bury him. Because he knew it, everyone knew it.

He couldn't save Shiro.

So he cried.

* * *

"Shh, you're gonna wake him!"

"Lance took my pillow!"

"Lance, seriously?"

"Fine!"

Keith stayed still, trying to keep his breathing deep to feign sleep as he listened to Pidge, Hunk and Lance argue on the floor nearby. They'd come sneaking into Shiro's room moments before with blankets and pillows and were still setting up their makeshift beds.

"Mind keeping it down?" Keith asked. He chuckled as three yelps were elicited from his teammates.

"How long have you been awake?" Lance asked, sitting up. Keith rolled over to face him and the others.

"Not long. Hard to sleep with you three loudly arguing right next to me."

"I told you to be quiet!" Pidge said.

"What are you doing in here?"

Hunk fiddled with his blanket. "We found you in here earlier, and we knew you were upset but it felt wrong leaving you alone. So we decided to have a sleepover."

"A sleepover, huh?" Keith asked, feeling a warm sensation wash over him. They'd been worried about him.

"Yah, we just wanted to, you know, say how sorry we are that Shiro's gone," Pidge added.

"I can't even imagine how hard it must be losing your brother," Lance said. Keith stayed quiet, letting them speak their minds. While he needed to be close to something of Shiro's, they obviously needed to be close to him.

"Allura managed to keep the emissaries from completely running out of the meeting," said Pidge. "Though she did promise that Voltron would fight for them when the time came."

Keith propped himself up on his elbow, glancing at the others in the semi-darkness. "Without Shiro there is no Voltron."

"Yah, but the universe needs us," Hunk argued.

"The universe needs Shiro," Keith replied. "And if this team believes that we can replace a part of us and continue on as if nothing happened, then I don't want to be a part of that anymore."

"What are you saying?" Lance demanded.

"We're not replaceable," Keith replied. "The universe needs us, as a team. And we aren't a team without Shiro. I'm gonna find him. You three, protect the castle and wormhole if any trouble shows up. I'll meet you at the Blade of Marmora's base in a week."

Hunk, Lance and Pidge all sat up, nodding in agreement.

"Can we go after we get some more sleep?" Hunk asked, earning himself a few snickers. Even Keith smiled.

"Sure. I could use the rest," he said, laying back down. He fell asleep to the sounds of his teammates beside him, and the prospect of finally finding Shiro.

* * *

Keith watched the castle enter the Blade of Marmora's system, hovering outside the range of the deadly celestial bodies that kept it so secretive and safe.

"Ready?" he asked, turning to look at Shiro.

Shiro nodded, grunting as he stood up. He'd been quiet ever since Keith had found him, and still weak, but Keith planned on fixing that right after they got back to the others.

"Thank you for your assistance," he said to Kolivan, who was silently watching them. He inclined his head and remained silent as Keith looped his arm around Shiro's waist and helped him walk to the small hangar where his lion waited.

"The others are gonna freak out when they see you," Keith said as they boarded, Shiro leaning heavily against him. His silence didn't bother Keith as much as he knew it would the others. He understood not being able to talk after something awful. And Shiro has been there for him at the time. He was more than willing to return the favor. Once he had Shiro resting against the back of his seat he quickly powered up Red and left the base.

"Let's not tell the others about the trial yet," Keith said as the castle loomed before them. Saving their missing leader would earn him some credit with the team, but admitting he'd returned to the Blade and completed his trial in order to guarantee they'd assist him in finding Shiro might not go over so well. Especially with Allura. They needed to be united in helping their black Paladin.

Shiro didn't remember what had happened after the fight with Zarkon, just waking up on a Galra ship and miraculously escaping before Haggar got her claws back into him. The Blade had found his distress beacon he sent from the stolen Galra fighter he was piloting, and as a new recruit Keith was allowed to accompany the rescue mission.

"Are you sure?" Shiro asked softly, his voice gravelly from misuse. Keith landed Red in the castle and slumped in his seat. It had been three days, and the knowledge he'd gained had completely changed everything he thought he knew about himself. Kolivan's explanation was not what he'd expected.

His mom was Galran. A member of the Blade, sent to earth to guard the blue lion. Which might explain his strange connection to a lion besides his own. How she'd met his dad, or had Keith, was still a mystery even the Blade didn't know. But at least he finally understood some missing aspects about himself.

He wasn't purely human. He was a half-breed, a hybrid. Which is how he was able to operate Galran tech, or absorb quintessence.

"I'm definitely not ready for that," he said, shaking his head. The prospect of his team knowing the truth about him when he had barely come to grips with it himself, was too much. "Let's just focus on getting you better and celebrate having you back with us."

"You don't give them enough credit," Shiro said as Keith helped him down the ramp. "They won't care that you're alien, they know you. They trust you. Keeping a secret this big won't be good for the team."

"Shiro!" Pidge exclaimed, racing forward and wrapping their arms around him. He would've collapsed if not for Keith's support.

"Hey, Pidge," Shiro smiled. "It's good to be back."

"Hey man!" Lance smiled, hurrying over with Hunk, Allura and Coran.

"Shiro, we're all so glad to see you," Allura beamed.

"He needs a pod," Keith said, adjusting his grip around Shiro's waist.

"Right this way!" Coran announced, leading the way to the med bay.

* * *

"I still can't believe you found him," Hunk said, placing a hand on Keith's shoulder.

Keith nodded. "I got lucky. Shiro practically saved himself, stealing a Galra fighter and sending out a distress beacon that the Blade picked up. All I did was bring him back home."

"You're lucky indeed," Allura said, turning to him. She didn't look pleased. "You risked your life and your lion, and in doing so put the team at jeopardy."

"So?" Keith snapped, gesturing at Shiro in his pod. "We got him back! Isn't that what matters?"

"Your dangerous behavior is inexcusable. As a Paladin of Voltron I expect more from you," Allura replied.

"Do you think finding Shiro wasn't worth the risk?" Keith asked, glaring at her.

"I didn't...that's not what I meant…" she stammered.

"I was out there, searching for him, ALONE because I knew I couldn't put the others in danger as well. But finding Shiro was the most important thing, and I did it. So excuse me if I don't apologize for my methods."

Keith turned and faced Shiro's pod, his arms crossed over his chest. Allura quietly left the med bay, leaving silence in her wake.

"Dude, don't be so hard on her," Hunk said softly, sitting on the steps beside Keith. "She was out of her mind when she found out you'd left, and that we were covering for you."

"I bet," Keith said grimly, images of gruesome Altean torture flashing through his mind. He looked at Hunk. "How'd you convince her to wait the whole week?"

Hunk rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. "We refused to tell her where we were supposed to meet you, and she couldn't track Red. She was mad."

"I'm sorry you guys had to do that for me."

Hunk stood up, bumping his shoulder against Keith's. "We did it for you, and Shiro. We trust you. Allura will get it over once Shiro's back to being space dad."

Keith chuckled, fighting past the tightness in his throat. His teammates trusted him. Allura would hopefully forgive him soon enough. And everything would go back to normal.

* * *

"Every member of the Blade of Marmora understands that the mission is more important than the individual. This isn't Voltron," Kolivan reprimanded. They had infiltrated a Galra base and after tripping an alarm they were forced to return to their ship while under heavy fire. One of the Blade's, Regris, was hit and wouldn't have made it back on his own. Keith had stopped to help, much to Kolivan's apparent dismay.

"I know that!" Keith snapped, glaring up at him. "Sometimes taking the risk is worth it."

"And if you had been injured as well? Then we would have lost two men instead of one. And the other pilots of Voltron would have never forgiven me!"

Keith scoffed. "Don't pretend you care. If you really believe my death would cost you the alliance with Voltron, you would've never requested I come on any of these missions in the first place."

He walked past Kolivan without another word, heading to his bunk.

"Keith!" Hunk shouted happily, beaming at him from the monitor. "It's good to see you! How's the mission?"

"It's fine," Keith replied, sitting on his bed and holding out the small device in front of him. "How are things at the castle?"

"They're good! Olkarion's population grows every day and Shiro's keeping us busy helping the refugees. Allura's even been practicing in your..."

He suddenly stopped himself, as if realizing what he had begun to say.

"It's alright Hunk, Red isn't my lion anymore," Keith said. He had given up the right to be the red paladin when he had left to help the Blade. Though he did miss the connection with his - the lion. And he supposed he missed the comradery. It had been nice not being so disposable.

"Are you okay man?" Hunk asked, suddenly looking serious. "If you need to talk to Shiro I can go get him."

"No, I'm fine," said Keith. Honestly though he wanted nothing more than to talk to his brother, or to be told that he was needed and to return to them immediately. But it had been three weeks, and somehow every time he called someone besides Shiro always answered.

Except Allura. But he'd expected that.

"It's alright, I can go get him," suggested Hunk.

Keith shook his head. "I'm just tired. Don't bother Shiro, I'm sure he's busy."

"Do you want me to tell him you called?"

"Don't bother," Keith said before ending the call, wanting to get away from Hunk's expression of pity.

So even Shiro was avoiding him. He'd been prepared for the princess' anger. But not from his brother.

It had been two weeks since his massive screw up and subsequent self-imposed exile, but he felt like it had been years.

 _He'd asked Shiro to allow him to go the Blade of Marmora for training not long after they'd landed on Olkarion to aid with the resettlement efforts. The base was nearby, and reluctantly Shiro had given him permission so long as he kept his comm link turned on and could return at a moment's notice in case they needed him._

 _Of course, as soon as he landed at the base he switched it off. He didn't want the others accidentally hearing anything. Shiro was sure they would understand about his Galran parentage, but he wasn't ready._

 _He'd been training with Kolivan for nearly six hours, the leader pushing him well past his physical limits, when they were interrupted. A rebel supply line that the refugees desperately needed was under attack, and the others had tried calling Keith for help to no avail. Pidge had managed to send a message directly to the base alerting them._

 _Keith felt like an idiot. An exhausted idiot._

 _As he and Red quickly left he turned his comm back on, startled to hear the others already engaged with Galran fighters. They were vastly outnumbered, but without him there to form Voltron all they could do was keep going._

 _"Guys I'm sorry I didn't get your messages, I'm on my way!"_

 _"Finally!" Pidge shouted._

 _"Where have you been?" Lance demanded. "We've been working while you've been gone all day, and then you decide not to come help us when we need you!"_

 _"I'm here now!" Keith growled, marveling at Red's speed as he reached the edge of the battle and began taking out enemy fighters._

 _"I'm just glad you're here," Hunk sighed in relief._

 _"Alright enough chitchat, let's form Voltron," Shiro ordered._

 _Keith gladly joined his teammates in forming the legendary defender, easily dispatching the Galran forces. They flew back to the castle, everyone's previous anger seeming to have abated._

 _However when they went to the bridge and he saw Allura's expression, he realized not everyone was so forgiving. He hoped an apology would help; after all, he did feel guilty._

 _"Princess, before you start, I know I screwed up and I'm sorry."_

 _"Your selfish actions today put the rest of this team in danger!" Allura chided. "How could you be so reckless?"_

 _"In fact, the entire quadrant was in danger," Coran added._

 _"I allowed you to go earlier under the promise that you would keep your comm on to avoid this exact situation," said Shiro._

 _Keith nodded. "I know that, and I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again."_

 _"Where were you?" Allura asked. "What was so important that you risked the lives of your team, and all of these refugees?"_

 _Glancing at Shiro, Keith had hoped he would give him an excuse. But Shiro simply looked at him with that expression he always wore whenever Keith got in trouble._

 _"Keith, you should tell them. No more lies."_

 _"What's he talking about?" Lance asked, glancing between the two. Everyone else stood in silence as Keith stared hard at Shiro. He wasn't ready._

 _"I went to the Blade of Marmora, for training," he finally said, looking away as he waited for the reactions._

 _"What?!"_

 _"Why the hell did you go back there?"_

 _"How could you trust them, those guys are crazy!"_

 _"Why didn't you tell us?"_

 _"I'm a member!"_

 _Keith was alarmed by his angry outburst, but none more than his teammates who instantly fell quiet. But he only noticed Allura. She was looking at him in shock and revulsion, like he was personally responsible for the death of her people. It had been the Galra's fault, but surely she knew he wasn't to blame?_

 _"The Blade only accepts Galran members," she murmured. "Ulaz told me. They're trying to atone for the sins of their race."_

 _"Wait, but then that means..." Pidge began, turning to Keith._

 _"My mom was Galran," he explained, wanting nothing more than to erase their entire conversation. He had never wanted them to know, let alone find out the way they all had._

 _"You're part Galra?" Hunk asked._

 _"Half," Keith replied. He suddenly felt too hot, with everyone staring at him. He wanted to go to his room and hide for a few days. Or at least until everyone calmed down._

 _"Get out."_

 _His head jerked up, eyes meeting Allura's fiery glare._

 _"What?" Shiro asked, dumbfounded. He looked from the princess to Keith._

 _"Get out. Out of my castle and away from Voltron," she demanded, her voice shaking with rage. Her fists were balled at her sides._

 _"Allura, this is Keith we're talking about. He's the red paladin!" exclaimed Lance._

 _"Get out!" Allura screamed. Keith didn't bother looking to Shiro or the others._

 _He simply turned and ran, his bayard clattering to the floor behind him._

Keith put the device on his desk and turned off the light, curling up in his bed. He'd never felt so lonely.

* * *

Another solo mission from Kolivan. More alone time.

Exactly what Keith had resignedly become used to.

It had been three months since he'd left Voltron, and after trying to stay in contact he'd slowly stopped trying to call. Pidge and Hunk sent him messages every once in a while saying how much they missed him, and asking when he would return. Even Lance sent a few, and Coran.

Of course he had been a part of the request for Kolivan and the Blades to assist the coalition in freeing an entire section of the Galran empire. He kept quiet throughout the conversation and avoided looking at the video monitor as much as possible. He didn't want to catch anyone's eye, especially Shiro or Allura.

He didn't want to see their disappointment.

* * *

"You did very well today. Shiro and the others must be proud," Kolivan said as Keith entered the Marmora home base.

Keith shrugged. "I didn't stick around to talk. They needed to speak with Lotor and I didn't want to be in the way."

Kolivan silently watched him walk past, which Keith was thankful for. All he wanted to do was go to his room and be alone for a while.

He needed time to get the memory of his near death out of his mind.

And more than that, he needed to face the fact that he truly believed the best way to help the others was by sacrificing his life. That he could atone for his past mistakes and even heritage through _death._

Which terrified him.

Voltron would continue on without him, as it had been doing since he left. They would accomplish so much despite his absence. They would bring the universe into a new age of peace. Without him.

They didn't need him.

In that moment Keith vowed to lose himself in the pursuit of becoming the best Blade operative Kolivan had at his disposal. Even if he desperately missed his brother and teammates and Red.

Kolivan would only be eager to use his newfound commitment.

* * *

Keith was to find a Blade by the name of Krolia and aid her extraction from the Galra base she had been stationed at for the last year. It was in the area of Galran territory that hadn't pledged to Lotor.

Everything was going well until a sentry noticed them trying to place bombs in order to cripple the quintessence shipment. Then the shooting had begun.

"We need to place the last bomb and start the timer!" Krolia shouted. Keith nodded as he blasted three more sentries.

"I'll cover you!"

Krolia leapt from behind the console they had been using for shelter and sprinted towards the far wall, the last bomb clutched tightly in her fist. Keith made sure to lay down cover fire, keeping all the sentries preoccupied until the bomb was secured and she was back behind the console.

"We need to get out of here," Krolia panted, crouching beside him. "The timer is already started, we've got five doboshes to get to the hangar and get clear."

"Five?!" Keith exclaimed, firing at more sentries. "We won't make it in time!"

"I've got a plan, trust me!"

Keith watched as Krolia once again burst from their sheltered hiding spot, running over to an air vent set into the far wall then firing rapidly at the robotic sentries. Realizing what she wanted him to do, Keith ran over while she took down sentry after sentry. He ripped the vent out of the wall to reveal their escape.

"Go!" Krolia shouted. Quickly obeying, Keith climbed into the vent which dropped down into darkness. Using his hands and feet he attempted to guide his rapid descent as Krolia dove in behind him. He barely had time to brace for the impact before they were tumbling into a darkened hallway, crashing to the floor in a heap of tangled limbs.

"You okay?" Krolia asked, disentangling herself and slowly rising to her feet. Keith nodded, doing the same. They hadn't been caught yet, but they only had a few doboshes left until the bombs detonated. They needed to run.

"The hangar bay is just ahead," said Krolia as she began leading the way down the hall. Keith sprinted after her, trying to keep pace with the taller woman. After a few turns they found the hangar which seemed opportunistically empty.

"Where are the guards?" Keith quietly asked as they entered.

Krolia shrugged, leading the way towards one of the smaller vessels. She had barely opened the rear hatch when the sound of blasters heralded trouble. Pain ripped through Keith's side and suddenly he found himself on the floor.

Drawing on his training from Kolivan, he unsheathed his blade and slid it across the floor to Krolia, who in the midst of the chaos had managed to get to cover. She bent down and picked it up, her eyes widening in shock as she read the glyph on the handle.

Then she was racing towards him amid a renewed hail of blaster fire. Keith wanted to tell her it was okay, that she didn't have to rescue him, but she was already hoisting him to his feet and wrapping his arm around her shoulder before hurrying to their ship.

"I can't believe...you saved me," Keith wheezed as Krolia sealed the hatch. "I thought every Blade...valued the mission...over a single member."

"Save your strength," she said, gently easing him down onto a bench and pressing against his wound. Keith let out a strangled gasp. "Keep pressure here."

He tried to do as he was told, keeping his hands held against his side. They were sticky with blood. Maybe Krolia didn't like the sight of blood. Maybe that's why she was hurrying to the pilot's seat. Maybe that's why he didn't feel good either, like the world was swaying beneath them. Or their ship was.

"Just hold on, I'm getting us out of here!"

Keith felt the shudder as they lifted off, but it was becoming harder to breathe. Black dots danced across his vision and he thought he heard Krolia call his name but he knew he was mistaken. They'd been too busy before for introductions. She didn't know him.

That was his last thought before darkness swallowed him.

* * *

"He's lost a lot of blood!"

"We need to get him inside, now!"

Someone's arms slid under his knees and behind his back, and then Keith was floating. He vaguely wondered what was happening, but he was too tired to open his eyes and find out. It seemed much easier to drift between sleep and awake. But before he could completely disappear into the darkness, he was being laid down on a hard surface.

"He's going to need blood, and we don't have any. Best I can do is bandage his wound and hope against infection. Who is he?"

"Blade assigned by Kolivan to get me off the base. But Romelle, there's something about him. I swear his knife..."

"We can worry about all that later. Right now, I need your help."

There was a moment of silence, and Keith was sure he was dreaming. Whoever the two voices were, they were definitely female and they knew he was a member of Marmora.

"What do you need?"

"Hold him down. This is going to hurt."

Hands gripped his shoulders, pressing him down. A warm weight settled across his legs before white hot fire burned through his side. Keith's back arched, his body trying to escape the pain. His eyes slammed open, finding the blurry figure of Krolia hovering above him.

"Keith!" She shouted, pinning him down. A blonde woman stood on his other side, looking concerned.

Then he knew no more.


	5. The Return

Keith slowly surfaced from unconsciousness, his body heavy. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the rooms half-light, which appeared to be a medical bay. Though older than any he'd ever seen. Even the castle's. Dust covered most of the surfaces and a faint smell of mildew pervaded the air.

But one thing clearly stood out - The Blade of Marmora insignia carved into the wall. His brain was still fuzzy on why that was a good thing, but he was mostly thankful for something he recognized.

Especially since everything else was a disjointed mess. He remembered being shot, and Krolia getting him to the ship, then there was a brief glimpse of a blonde woman before darkness. Glancing down at his side he was surprised to find the shirt of his Blade uniform had been removed leaving him clad in only the dark pants. A heavy bandage covered the left portion of his stomach and wrapped around his side. Krolia, or someone else, had obviously taken care of him.

Keith attempted to push himself into an upright position, hissing as agony erupted in his side. He kept a hand pressed tightly against the wound as he swung his legs over the edge of the cot. For a long moment he simply sat, head hanging low as the room spun around him. He wasn't positive how far he could get in his weakened state, but he couldn't stay there. He was unarmed and unsure where exactly _there_ even was.

"You can't be certain Kolivan didn't give him the blade."

He glanced up at the door which stood slightly ajar, an unknown woman's voice faintly echoing into the room.

"I know that glyph - it's my family's. He wouldn't allow another to carry it without knowing we were related," Krolia argued.

"So he's related to you?"

Keith listened intently as the conversation paused. Then, "He's my son."

"But he doesn't even look like you! And you don't know anything about him. How did he get to this galaxy? How did he find the Blades? I know you want to help him, but it might cause more harm."

"He's my son, Romelle. I can't just sit by and not do everything in my power to help him."

Keith teetered, the world swinging wildly around him. It felt as if he was underwater as he rose to his feet and stumbled out into the hall, his side burning dully.

 _His mom._

"Keith!"

Krolia was there, her hand on his arm. The woman from earlier stood nearby watching him closely. Keith opened his mouth, all of the words dying in his throat. He had dreamt of the moment he would finally find his mom but each imagined scenario was nothing like reality.

That's when his legs buckled.

Krolia barely managed to get her arms around him, stopping his downward collapse. She was saying something to the woman, but he couldn't pick up any words over the buzzing in his ears. Everything was swirling around him and he couldn't hold on any longer.

The world went dark.

* * *

Keith's side ached. Not the surface level kind of pain, but a throbbing, unquenchable torment. He'd never felt anything like it before.

The pain yanked him into awareness. He wasn't surprised to find himself back in the bunker's med bay. Though seeing Krolia sitting in a chair beside him sent a thrill of nerves racing through his body.

"You're awake," she sighed, looking relieved. He nodded, taking a deep breath. He gritted his teeth to keep from crying out; each miniscule movement illicited more pain in his side.

And whether it was that or exhaustion, he wasn't sure, but he couldn't stop himself from murmuring, "You have fur. Why don't I have fur?"

Krolia stared at him in silence before erupting into laughter.

"I'm sorry," Keith blurted, embarrassed.

She smiled as she shook her head in amusement. "I guess it's to be expected. I always knew the next time I would see you, you would have so many questions."

Keith froze. "So why did you leave?"

Krolia's laugh faded. "There's a very long answer to that question, but you really need to rest. I promise I'll explain everything later."

"No!" Keith argued, trying to sit up. He gasped as his vision went white. Krolia pushed him back down onto the cot, her hands ghosting over his side.

"Keith, can you hear me?"

He nodded slowly, taking small, quick breaths. He kept his eyes closed as he tried to ride out the pain rippling from his wound.

"You're okay," Krolia murmured, raking her fingers through his hair. Keith turned toward the motion, something inside of him breaking apart. He'd been injured before, and each time Shiro was there. But a small part of him had always craved his mom. And now that he was away from Shiro, Krolia was there. It wasn't fair he kept being separated from one or the other.

Tears leaked past his closed lids, slidding down his cheeks. She gently wiped each of them away.

"Shhh, you're okay. Just breathe. I'm here."

At those words Keith cried even harder.

Krolia kept brushing back his hair and wiping away any tears as Keith devolved into a jumble of emotions. He missed Shiro and the others desperately, he was overjoyed to have found his mom, and there was a hollow ache each time he thought about his dad. It was almost too much to withstand.

"Your father was a brave man who saved my life," Krolia quietly began. "I was a new Blade undercover amongst Zarkon's patrol unit tasked with finding the blue lion. We stumbled upon Earth and discovered it there, and while attempting to kill the others before they radioed in our location, I crashed. Your father found me and helped nurse me back to health. He showed me some of the mysteries of the desert, and I in turn showed him the lion. I told him everything - of Zarkon's tyranny, and how he was searching for the other lions in order to control Voltron. Then he could conquer more than just my galaxy. Your father agreed to help me protect the lion, and for a few years everything was calm. You were born, and we were happy."

"Then another patrol discovered Earth. Luckily we were able to stop them as well, but your father was injured. And that's when I vowed to leave. I would return to the Blades and continue working undercover to dismantle Zarkon's rule, all while keeping the attention away from your planet. I had to protect you. Both of you. That was the hardest decision I've ever had to make."

Keith looked up at Krolia in shock. She had left him to _save_ him.

"What made you leave Earth?" She asked, breaking the silence.

He licked his dry lips. "It's a long story. My friends and I stumbled upon Blue, and it took us through a wormhole to this galaxy. Eventually we began fighting against Zarkon, and I joined the Blades to...find you, actually."

"You're a paladin of Voltron?" Krolia exclaimed. "Does your father know?"

Keith shook his head. "I am...I _was_ the red paladin, but dad...he...he died when I was a kid. I met Shiro, the black paladin, not long after. He volunteered to foster me and got me into the garrison, where I learned how to be a pilot. He's the only family I thought I had."

Krolia looked stunned. He was too exhausted to feel much more than the usual sadness he always experienced whenever he thought of his dad, who had been gone for years. Though it still hurt. And watching as she learned what had happened threatened to reopen those old emotions.

"I'm so sorry, Keith. I wish I had been there for you," Krolia said, leaning forward. "But I'm here now."

Keith nodded, at a loss for words. Krolia took that as an affirmative and stood up, suddenly serious. "Now you need to rest. Romelle will skin us both if you don't."

"Who's Romelle?"

"You met her earlier," Krolia replied. "Right before you lost consciousness. She's probably off with Yorak causing trouble."

"Yorak?"

She sighed, sitting back down. "If you're anything like your father, you won't rest until I've answered your questions."

Keith toyed with the blanket sheepishly.

"I'm not sure what Yorak is, exactly, but if I had to guess I would say he's a nebula wolf. I found him while I was in the Abyss."

All of Keith's exhaustion was gone. "What's the Abyss?"

"It's a part of the galaxy where dense neutron stars orbit even larger dark stars. There, planets and other celestial beings are pulled and torn in different directions. It's pure chaos, and a very unforgiving environment. And there are unusual effects on gravitational waves and even space-time. The Galran commander I was working under had a limited supply of enriched quintessence, which came from the Quantum Abyss. I was sent to retrieve more and that's when I rescued Romelle. I brought her and Yorak here before I returned to the base, and I promised once my Blade assignment was over I would help her," Krolia explained.

He marveled at yet another mystery of space. "And how are you supposed to help?"

"By seeking revenge against Prince Lotor, for the experimentation and murder of my people."

Keith stared at the woman standing in the doorway, immediately noticing her facial markings and pointed ears. He'd somehow missed those details before.

"You're Altean," he said, dumbfounded. Suddenly a black wolf materialized at her side, his fur streaked with white and fluorescent blue.

"Keith, meet Romelle and Yorak," Krolia introduced.

Romelle tossed her sleek hair over her shoulder. "I'm glad you're awake. Apparently you're just as stubborn as your mother."

Keith tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. _His mother_. Shaking himself of those thoughts, he looked back at Romelle. "Lotor murdered your people?"

She nodded. "He's been taking our quintessence, but for what I'm not sure."

 _No no no no nononono_

"What are you doing?" Krolia asked as he threw off the blanket, ignoring the pain such a movement caused.

"I have to go."

"You won't make it far," Romelle quipped.

"I don't care," he argued, forcing himself to sit up.

"Keith, you're in no condition to be out of bed, much less traveling!" Krolia chided, trying to stop him from rising.

He pushed her away. "I have to! My friends don't know the danger they're in. They're working with Lotor, they think he's an ally! But if he gets control of Voltron we're all at risk."

Krolia quit trying to stop him, instead gently helping him to his feet. He would've fallen if she wasn't steadying him.

"Then we better hurry."

* * *

 _"Red, can you hear me? It's Keith. I know it's been a while but...I'm hurt and I really need your help. I'm trying to get back to the castle, but I don't know where it is. Please girl, I need to find the others."_

Keith sat in silence, his eyes closed, as he imagined reaching through space for his old lion. Their connection had proven distance didn't stop a paladin from being able to call for aid. Hopefully he wasn't too far, and hopefully she wouldn't ignore him.

He was aware of Romelle and Yorak watching him while Krolia piloted their ship in what they hoped was the right direction. It wasn't like the castle was always in a fixed spot, not since they had left Arus. He had no communication link with the others, so no way of finding where they were. Not without some help.

 _"Red, please?"_

Then he felt it, a brief caress against his mind. She could hear him after all! Though judging by the rumbling growl she directed at him, she wasn't too pleased with his current situation. Keith sighed as he opened his eyes. He wasn't overjoyed either.

"Any luck?" Romelle asked.

"I would say yes," Krolia said as a wormhole opened in space before them. Keith grinned as he spotted Red flying towards them, the castle not far behind.

But the excitement of finally seeing his friends after so long quickly evaporated, replaced with apprehension. Allura was in the castle, the same castle she had kicked him out of. He wondered if she would allow them entry.

"Castle of lions, my name is Krolia, a member of the Blade of Marmora. Keith is with me, and we need your help."

For a moment the communication link between their vessel and the castle was silent, and Keith started panicking.

But then, "Keith! Are you okay?"

 _Shiro._

"I'm okay," Keith said, fighting back the tears.

"He's not," Krolia interjected. "He's wounded."

"We'll have a pod waiting," Coran said. Keith tried to breathe a sigh of relief as the hangar door of the castle opened and they landed, Red coming to rest in her usual spot, but he couldn't. Thoughts of rejection swirled through his mind. The team had been doing great without him, did he have any right to interfere?

It wasn't like he was a paladin anymore.

Rising unsteadily to his feet he shoved those worries aside as he stepped out of the ship into blinding light. Whether the others wanted him there or not, they were in danger and he couldn't just sit by.

Arms suddenly wrapped around him in a tight embrace.

"I missed you," Shiro murmured.

Keith released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding as he hugged his brother in return. "Missed you more."

"Okay, okay, enough family reunion," Lance teased. Reluctantly Keith pulled away, trying to hide his discomfort.

Shiro instantly saw through his facade, keeping a tight grip on his arm. "Come on tough guy, let's get you to the med bay."

"First we have to stop Lotor," Romelle demanded. Keith looked back at her, Krolia, and Yorak standing near the ship. In all the excitement he had forgotten them.

"You're...you're Altean!" Coran exclaimed.

"Whoa, is that a wolf?!" Hunk asked.

Lance stared at Krolia. "Who's the Galran?"

"What do you mean stop Lotor?" Pidge asked.

"I can explain everything," Keith replied, wanting nothing more than to sit down.

Shiro glanced at him. "Allura and Lotor are in the quintessence field. When they return, we'll get this all sorted out."

"Keith has told me all about the brave paladins of Voltron," Krolia said, stepping forward. She held out her hand to Shiro. "Especially you. Thank you for raising him and making him part of your family."

"Krolia's with the Blades, she was with me on my last mission," Keith explained, noting Shiro's surprise. "She's...also my mom."

Everyone looked at him in shock.

"It's an honor to meet you," Shiro said, recovering quickly.

"Okay, this is crazy!" Lance shouted. "You come back with your Galran mom, an Altean, and a wolf, after disappearing?"

"I'm still waiting to hear how you found this Altean," Coran said.

"Wait, disappearing?" Keith asked. "I've been on assignment with the Blades."

"Kolivan told us you went missing," Pidge replied.

Hunk nodded. "Yah, we've been helping them look for you. That's why when Red left the castle without warning _or_ a pilot, we knew to follow."

"You were looking for me?" Keith asked in surprise. He thought they were off saving the galaxy. That they didn't miss him.

"Of course we were," Shiro said, looking at him with a strange expression. "Allura hardly slept, between our search and helping Lotor."

"She's helping that murderer?" Romelle fumed.

"Okay, can someone explain why we hate Lotor now?" Lance asked.

"This is Romelle," Keith said, glancing at her. "I think you should tell them your story."

Romelle straightened. "I come from a planet where there are thousands of Alteans. We have lived there in hiding since the war with Zarkon began."

"That's impossible," Coran interrupted. "Altea was destroyed! Allura and I were the only survivors."

She shook her head. "Everyone on my planet knows of how Lotor supposedly saved us. When Zarkon attacked, many Alteans were off-planet. As news of the destruction of our home spread, they went into hiding. Lotor found all he could and hid them on a remote world beyond the Quantum Abyss. We named it New Altea...that's where I was born. But over the years, Lotor hand selected numerous Alteans to travel to a new colony. Including my parents and brother, Bandor,"

"It wasn't until I was sent to track down a supply of enriched quintessence that we learned the truth," Krolia added.

"Lotor was harvesting our quintessence to create a pure strain," Romelle finished.

"That's horrifying," said Hunk quietly.

"This whole time, he's been lying to us!" Pidge exclaimed. Everyone looked livid, learning the man they had been closely working with was a liar and a murderer.

"I never liked that guy!" Lance grumbled.

"We can't do anything until they return to the castle," Shiro said, attempting to cool the rising anger. Keith leaned more heavily against him, unsure if the castle floor was swaying or if he was.

"You don't look so good," Hunk said, looking at him.

Keith huffed. "I'm fine."

"Liar," Lance claimed, crossing his arms. He gestured at Keith's side. "So what happened this time, you accidentally stabbed yourself rather than your opponent?"

"He was shot," Krolia said matter-of-factly.

"Alright, med bay," Shiro ordered, pulling Keith forward. Hunk stepped forward and took Keith's other arm. "We can wait for Allura and Lotor there."

"We should just go to the bridge, it's closer," Keith protested.

Reluctantly Shiro nodded, glancing at their ragtag group. "We can't alert Lotor that anything's wrong, not until he safely returns with the princess."

Everyone, even Romelle, agreed.

By the time they reached the bridge Keith could feel his tenuous grip on consciousness slipping. After being deposited in a chair and told under no circumstances to move, he watched as Coran and Shiro started busying themselves with checking scans for Allura, while the others pestered Krolia and Romelle with endless questions.

"How did you get to Earth? How did you meet Keith's dad?"

"What's the Quantum Abyss?"

"What's your wolf's name? What kind of space wolf is he?"

Keith chuckled to himself, beyond exhausted. It was overwhelming having his world completely upended in the course of just a few days.

"Hey, you alright?" Shiro asked, suddenly standing beside him. Keith blinked up at his brother in surprise. He hadn't heard him approach. Kolivan would be disappointed.

"M'good," he said, hardly believing it himself. Everything was getting a little blurry around the edges and his side itched, though he knew better than to scratch at it. He didn't dare ruin Krolia's expert bandaging skills

"Coran's still checking for any signal from Allura, and once she returns we can handle Lotor then get you into a pod," Shiro said. Keith nodded, his head feeling like it was too heavy for his neck to hold. He opened his mouth to ask Shiro to turn the heat down when Coran shouted they were returning. Shiro turned to the monitor, everyone watching Allura's ship approach.

"What are we gonna do with Lotor?" Pidge asked. Their group paused, everyone contemplating the answer. He was a valuable bargaining chip to use against Haggar and the Galran forces, but he was also a despicable man who used innocent people to further his own agenda. None of them would want to keep him in the castle for long.

"I can bring him to the Blades, they can hold him," Krolia suggested.

"We can discuss that once the princess is safe," said Shiro.

At that moment the door behind them opened.

"What's going on?" Allura demanded as Lance aimed his bayard at Lotor, while Krolia blocked the door.

"Allura, step away from Lotor," Shiro requested. Keith started to rise from the chair, begrudgingly grateful for Hunk rushing forward to help him to his feet.

"Someone please explain to me what's happening," Allura said, glancing around as she stepped in front of Lotor. She hesitated when she saw Keith.

"Lotor is a murderer, and has been harvesting Altean quintessence for generations!" Romelle shouted.

Allura gasped, staring at her. "An Altean!"

"You killed my family, and thousands more," Romelle continued, ignoring Allura. She glared at the Galran prince.

"Lotor's been lying to us," Pidge added. "He's just like his father!"

Lotor visibly cringed. "You know nothing of what you speak. Allura, listen to me..."

She turned to face him. "What are they talking about?"

"I preserved the Altean culture, our culture, from destruction. Some lives were unfortunately lost in the process, but they were martyrs for a greater cause. I sacrificed the few to save the many. Don't let this ruin everything we've worked for!"

Lotor reached out, taking Allura's hand. She tensed, pulling his arm across her shoulder and flipping him over her back. He crashed to the floor and bounced once before coming to rest against the wall, unconscious.

"Way to go Allura!" Lance cheered.

"Ahh!" Shiro screamed, falling to his knees and gripping his head in pain.

"Shiro!" Keith shouted, stumbling towards him. Something was clearly wrong.

"Keith, watch out!"

Shiro surged to his feet, his Galran fist swinging towards Keith's face. He didn't have a chance to react as the punch connected with his jaw, sending him flying backwards. He crashed to the ground in a daze.

There were shouts and the sounds of fighting all around him, but as fast as it started it was over. The bridge became eerily quiet.

"Shiro...don't..." Keith begged, watching the man he idolized walk over and grab Lotor, pulling him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. He walked off the bridge without looking back.

"Guys..." Keith wheezed, struggling to draw in breath. He pressed his hand against his side and rose to one knee, panting from the exertion.

Allura groaned as she slowly sat up. "What happened?"

"Shiro went crazy!" Lance exclaimed.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Coran, appearing from behind the console where he'd apparently been thrown.

"My head is killing me," Pidge replied, grimacing.

"Mine too," said Hunk.

"Is your friend normally like that?" Romelle asked, glancing at the closed door.

Keith shook his head. That was Shiro, but not the brother he knew. Stubbornly he forced himself to his feet, pushing down the nausea as the room spun wildly around him.

"Are you hurt?" Krolia asked him, eyeing his side.

"I'm fine," he replied. He could feel the others watching him and knew no one would believe him if he didn't put up a serious act.

"We have to go after Shiro," he said, looking around at the team. "He wasn't himself. Lotor must've done something. But we can't lose him again. He would never give up on any of us...We can't give up on him."

"But who's going to pilot the black lion?" Pidge asked.

Keith started walking towards the door. "I will."

* * *

Krolia, Romelle, and Yorak stayed with Coran at the castle while Keith led the others in pursuit of the ship Shiro had escaped in. He had a good head start, but Keith knew that the craft's engines were no match for the lions. Eventually they would catch up to him.

"Shiro!" Keith hailed, watching the monitor in Black as the lions sped after him. "Talk to me, please. Where are you going?"

He cursed when Shiro turned off the beacon, cutting off any further communication. Something was really wrong.

"What is that?!" Lance yelped. Keith turned, gaping at the wormhole that had suddenly appeared. Shiro aimed straight for it.

"Haggar must be behind this," Allura said.

"We can't worry about that right now, we have to get Shiro back!" Keith yelled, pushing Black faster after Shiro. Even with the lions superior design, it was going to be close. "

"We aren't going to make it!" Hunk warned.

Keith checked his screen, seeing Allura and Red were the only ones able to keep up with him. The others were falling further and further behind.

"The wormhole is closing!" Pidge shouted. Keith could practically feel himself being ripped in two; he needed to stay with the team in case they had to form Voltron, and he couldn't let Shiro disappear. Not again.

"Allura, stay with the others," he said. "I'll get Shiro and come back as soon as I can."

Allura was silent and Keith feared she wouldn't listen to him. They hadn't spoken since his return and Lotor's subsequent escape, but he knew they would have to eventually. There was too much between them.

"Hurry back," she finally said. Keith didn't have a chance to reply as he flew through the wormhole after Shiro.

And came face to face with a Galran fleet.


	6. Black Paladins

The elevator doors opened and Keith emerged onto a long walkway built out of the side of the asteroid, the far end suspended in open space. He kept his hand pressed firmly against his side and ignored the pain lancing up from it with each step as he passed row upon row of empty containers that creepily resembled the castle's pods. Whatever uses the Galran facility once had, it appeared to be abandoned.

Which made him even more concerned about Shiro. Why his brother had led him away from the fleet and to their current location was a mystery. He couldn't fight the foreboding sense that something was wrong as he reached the end of the walkway and stared up at the darkened pod before him.

Some part of him knew to reach out, laying his gloved hand flat against the glass. The dormant system sprang to life as it registered his half-blood heritage, illuminating the pod from within with violet light.

It wasn't empty.

 _Shiro_ was inside, appearing to be asleep. Keith took an involuntary step back, his brain struggling to comprehend what he was seeing.

The other pods lining the wall began lighting up, revealing each held another Shiro.

 **Clones** _._

The realization clanged through him.

"Hello Keith."

Keith whirled, startled to see Shiro standing behind him. At least, he _thought_ it was his Shiro. But he wasn't entirely sure. Especially with the lights making Shiro's eyes glow purple.

"It's gonna be okay," Keith said. Whatever Lotor or Haggar had done, they could fix it. Shiro nodded, walking towards him. "We just have to get back to the castle."

"We're not going anywhere," Shiro said, his Galran arm glowing. Suddenly he charged and Keith barely had time to raise his shield before they clashed. The force of the attack threw him against the wall, knocking the breath from his lungs. He jumped out of the way right before Shiro's fist smashed through the wall exactly where he had been standing.

"Shiro, stop!"

It was as if his brother couldn't hear him, his fist brutally hitting the shield over and over again before Keith dove out of the way. He rolled into a half crouch and nearly blacked out from the pain. But then Shiro was walking towards him, his hand taking on the shape of a purple iridescent blade. Keith shakily rose to his feet and pulled out his dagger, beginning to fear the man he faced wasn't his brother after all. But he couldn't be sure.

"Where's the Keith I know, who always loved a good fight?" Shiro taunted, lunging towards him.

Parrying the attack, Keith used his momentum to punch with his non-sword hand. It was a move Shiro had taught him. And one he easily countered, sidestepping the blow and dealing a swift uppercut to Keith's chin. The force threw his head back and sent his helmet flying.

"I thought I taught you better than that."

Keith ducked as Shiro swung his sword-hand directly towards his head. He switched his blade from one hand to another behind his back before surging to his feet, slamming Shiro up against the railing.

Shiro grinned. "There you are."

He hesitated. He didn't want to fight his brother. He was there to _save_ him. Shiro used the opportunity to punch him in the side and Keith saw white. When his vision cleared he found himself on the floor, arms wrapped around his middle while Shiro stood over him.

"I should've abandoned you like your parents," he growled. "They knew you were broken. I should've seen it too."

"I'm not leaving here without you," Keith promised, trying not to dwell on what he was hearing. All of his insecurities were being parroted by the one person in the galaxy who really understood him. Who knew how often he'd struggled as a kid with feeling worthless.

The only one who knew his weaknesses and fears.

Shiro sighed, holding up a remote. "Actually, neither of us are leaving."

An explosion rocked the facility, followed by another. Keith desperately looked around for any possible exit as a third and much closer bomb went off.

Suddenly the walkway they were on was sent careening towards the planet's surface. Keith fell through empty space, using his boosters to angle his trajectory towards the lowest level of the facility. Even if he managed to make it, he was falling too quickly. It was definitely going to hurt.

He crashed hard, the force knocking the air from his lungs as he rolled to a stop. For a moment he simply laid there, struggling to draw oxygen into his body. He squinted to his left where his blade stood upright, embedded in the floor. Thankfully he hadn't lost it.

Forcing himself to move, Keith began crawling towards his knife. He had to stop Shiro. He had to bring him back to the others so they could help him. He couldn't give up.

Even though he could feel himself growing weaker with each inch he covered. Using the last of his energy he stretched out his arm and grabbed the blade, his fingers barely able to grasp the handle and pull it free. He slumped on his back on the floor, breathing heavily.

Shiro landed effortlessly in front of him, his hand still in the form of a sword. Through the pain and exhaustion, Keith refused to give up until he'd saved his brother. The man he knew had to be in there somewhere.

As Shiro swung a killing stroke directly at him, he raised his blade to block it.

"Shiro...please," he begged, his arms shaking from the exertion. "You're my brother. I love you."

Shiro hesitated and Keith pushed his advantage.

"Remember...when we first met? I was a scared little kid who had lost everyone, but you promised you would **never** give up on me. I'm not giving up on you!"

"It's okay Keith," Shiro said, shaking himself free from whatever momentary shock had stopped him. He began pushing down harder. "You don't have to fight anymore. The others are already gone. I made sure of that."

Keith turned his head, trying to escape the heat Shiro's sword emitted. He didn't believe the others were gone, he couldn't. He had to cling to the hope of saving Shiro and bringing him back to the castle. If he entertained any other thoughts or worries he would fail.

Shiro kept pressing, his sword inching closer. Keith's cheek began to burn and he screamed as suddenly his blade shifted. Drawing on a reserve of power he didn't know he had, he swung upwards.

Shiro stumbled back with a look of surprise, his Galran arm severed at the mid-bicep. He fell to his knees as Keith slowly sat up.

"Keith?" He asked, looking around in confusion.

"I'm here," he breathed, closing his eyes. It seemed like a good way to make the room stop spinning.

Suddenly another bomb went off. Chunks of asteroid and twisted metal began falling past them. A piece of machinery crashed through the support trusses, sending them tumbling towards the planet below.

Keith desperately searched the debris raining down around him as he plummeted, hoping to spot Shiro amongst the wreckage. After a few agonizing seconds he saw him falling further below, appearing unconscious. Using his boosters, he managed to grab onto Shiro's arm. If it was the end he wanted to die with his brother.

There was a bright light then he knew no more.

* * *

"Keith...Keith."

Keith opened his eyes, startled to find himself in a swirling cosmos. He felt solid ground beneath his feet yet saw nothing surrounding him but twinkling stars. And he had been sure he heard Shiro, yet he was alone.

"Keith."

"Shiro?" Keith called out, his voice echoing. "Where are you?"

"I know this must be confusing," Shiro's disembodied voice said. "But you have to trust me."

"What is this place?" Keith demanded, pulling out his blade. "You...you were trying to kill me! Then we fell."

He felt a presence behind him and turned, shocked to see Shiro standing a few feet behind him. He appeared unharmed, and his Galran arm was still attached.

"I'm not here to hurt you," Shiro raised his hands as a sign of surrender. "Let me explain. The thing that attacked you wasn't me."

"It was a clone," Keith finished, already suspecting as much.

Shiro nodded. "Since my fight with Zarkon, I've been trapped here."

Keith shook his head, knowing what he was about to say yet refusing to believe it.

"I...I died, Keith. Somehow the Black lion transferred me to this plane, saving me. I used to catch glimpses of the world through it's eyes, but it's becoming harder and harder. I know this is a lot to process, but we don't have much time. The Black lion saved you, now you have to get back to the others."

"Is that where we are, the Black lion's consciousness?" Keith asked, glancing around.

"I think so," Shiro replied. He took a step towards Keith. "You can't worry about me right now. The team needs you. And you need them."

"What do you mean?" He asked. Shiro reached out and gingerly touched his side, and Keith recoiled in an expectation of agony. Yet there was none.

Shiro let his hand fall. "You're badly injured. The Black lion isn't sure you'll have the strength to fly. But I believe in you."

"I can't do it without you," Keith argued. He couldn't imagine piloting the lion across who knew how many systems in order to return to the castle. "I'm not leaving you here!"

He rushed forward, wrapping his arms tightly around his brother. Shiro returned the embrace.

"Keith, you have to believe me; it's my job to protect you. I promise to keep you safe but you have to trust me."

"I can't lose you again," he murmured against Shiro's chest.

"I'll be with you the whole time," Shiro pledged. Reluctantly Keith nodded. Everything shifted and slowly he blinked open his eyes, surprised to find himself lying on the floor of the Black lion. He turned, spotting the clone sprawled on his side nearby, thankfully still unconscious. The Black lion growled as it flew away from the asteroid.

"Thank you for saving us," Keith grunted as he propped himself up. He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, willing the dizziness to go away.

"You can do this," Shiro encouraged. Keith opened his eyes to find a glowing spector of his brother crouched in front of him.

"I'm so tired," Keith said. He could feel his body rebelling against him, demanding rest.

"Just a little longer," Shiro said. Keith nodded, taking in a deep breath before shoving himself to his feet. He staggered towards the pilot's seat, unceremoniously collapsing into it. Black dots swam across his vision as he kept one hand pressed against his wound, blood welling between his fingers, while he placed his bayard into the console and gave it a turn.

As they flew away from the destroyed facility, he looked up at his brother. "I'll get you home," he promised. "Then Allura can save you."

There was a ping on one of his monitors and Keith tapped on the image of Lotor and his three generals flying ahead of him. A second ping revealed the castle was in the next solar system.

Shiro turned to him. "I'll be fine, you just hold on. Call the others and let them know you're coming. And so is Lotor."

Keith grunted in agreement, too tired for words. Shiro quietly stepped to the side, out of the camera's range.

"Hailing...the castle...of lions," he wheezed. His communication screen was blank and he feared he was still too far out of range.

"Keith! You're okay!" Lance shouted, his face suddenly appearing on the screen. Keith smiled weakly.

"Are you alright?" Allura asked, joining Lance. "Did you find Shiro?"

"I did, but it's not the Shiro we know," Keith replied. He shifted and winced.

"Seriously, how hurt are you?" Lance asked, watching him closely. Keith considered lying. Everyone would know how bad off he was the instant he landed in the castle, so worrying them before then was useless.

"I'm okay," he replied. Lance opened his mouth to argue but he cut him off. "The Shiro that took Lotor was a clone. I'll explain everything when I return, but you need to focus on Lotor. He's headed back to your position."

"He wants into the quintessence field!" Allura exclaimed.

"I'm on my way, but without a wormhole...it'll take me a while. You'll have to hold him off without me."

"We'll do what we can," Lance said. Keith ended the transmission, slumping in his chair.

"Are you ready?" Shiro asked, coming to stand next to him again. Keith nodded, preparing himself.

"What do I need to do?"

"The lions have so many more capabilities than we ever imagined. Picture the others, reach out to them. Patience yields focus."

Keith pulled his hand away from his side, ignoring the blood coating his glove as he grabbed the controller.

For Coran, who never doubted him.

For Pidge, who enjoyed teasing him for not understanding an equation then showed him how to solve it.

For Hunk, who was the best listener in the universe and gave the best hugs.

For Lance, who once saw him as a rival but eventually hailed him as their leader.

For Allura, who taught him acceptance came from within.

And for Shiro, who always believed in him no matter what.

Keith would die for them if he had to.

"Patience yields focus," he repeated, feeling Shiro's hand on his shoulder as the Black lion roared. Then he was slamming the controllers forward past the extent he'd ever reached before. He felt the rockets blast and then they were soaring, the galaxy a blur. Stars became rivers of molten silver. And Keith saw _through_ the lion's eyes.

Lotor had created his own Voltron with the ships Allura had helped him build. He was easily defeating the others, who without Keith were unable to form their own legendary defender. Keith watched as Lotor repeatedly disappeared, only to reappear seconds later in a different position entirely.

 _"He's too fast!" Hunk yelled._

 _"How is he disappearing like that?" Asked Pidge._

 _"He's entering the quintessence field at will!" Allura replied._

"You'll have to go in after him. Gaining power from the field is the only way you can match his strength," said Shiro.

Keith nodded, seeing how close they were. It was **incredible**. Just a few more ticks...

He slammed into Lotor's ship, the concussive shock wave sending the Prince tumbling away.

"Keith! How did you get here so fast?" Lance cheered.

"I had some help," Keith panted, glancing at Shiro. "I know what Lotor's doing. He's using the quintessence to super charge his ship, and the only way we can fight him is getting some extra power for ourselves."

"Can we do that?" Hunk asked.

"My father did it once, but it's very dangerous," Allura said.

"We have to try," Keith pushed. "Form Voltron!"

The five lions quickly assembled, unsheathing their sword before flying directly at the spot where the gate once stood. There was a moment of uncertainty as everything around them shifted.

Keith felt the instant they crossed the barrier. All of his pain and exhaustion vanished, and Shiro began appearing more corporeal.

"This place is amazing!" Pidge gasped. "We're back to full power!"

"But how do we stop him?" Hunk asked. Lotor was flying straight for them, and even with the five of them together it was going to be a hard fight against the newer, faster ship.

"We give Lotor all the power he wants!" Allura yelled as a blast of pure energy shot from Voltron's chest, directly hitting Lotor. For a moment it appeared his ship might be able to overcome the raw quintessence the princess was firing at him, but then it started shutting down. As their beam slowly faded, the ship floated away from them, electricity crackling wildly.

Pidge cheered. "Lotor's ship has lost all power! What was that?"

"I transferred the excess power from Voltron," replied Allura. "A little trick I learned in Oriande."

"You have to leave!" Shiro exclaimed, suddenly appearing beside Keith.

He switched off his comms, staring up at his brother. "What are you talking about?"

"This is exactly what happened to Zarkon! Exposure to all this quintessence turned him into a monster. It's already affecting Lotor, and it'll start affecting all of you as well!"

Keith could feel the rage, the bloodthirst building within him, and knew his brother was right. He switched his comms back on. "We need to go!"

"What? Why?" Lance demanded.

"We're out of control. This level of exposure is too much for us to handle!" He replied, piloting them towards the exit.

"All our systems are overloaded," Pidge warned. "Keith is right, we have to leave now."

They exited the field, the force separating Voltron into the five lions. Small glowing spheres dotted the area around them and Lotor didn't seem capable of following.

"If we had stayed we would've kept fighting until we destroyed ourselves," Allura said.

Hunk sighed. "That was close."

Keith was too hot, his heart racing. Every ounce of pain that the field had blocked him from came crashing down upon him, leaving him breathless and shaky. He feared he might black out before telling the others about Shiro.

"Tell them you're hurt and need to land," Shiro coaxed, appearing beside him. He had returned to his previous ghostly visage.

"I...can't," Keith panted. He had to get everyone back to the castle and tell them what had happened to Shiro, and hopefully have Allura fix it.

"You've returned!" Coran shouted, the castle flying towards them.

"Lotor's no longer a threat," said Allura.

"I'm afraid we have a bigger problem now," Coran said, sending each of them a scan of the surrounding area in space. The small spheres of light were growing. "All of Lotor's jumping in and out of the field have created multiple breaches in space and time."

"What does...that mean?" Asked Keith.

"It means that unless we fix them, and fast, those breaches will keep expanding until our entire existence is destroyed," Pidge explained.

"There has to be something we can do!" Lance shouted.

"I'm scanning the breaches now," Pidge said.

"I'm running a diagnostic to see if they'll repair on their own," Hunk chimed in. Keith listened to them discuss possible solutions, none of which seemed plausible.

"How long...do we have?" He asked.

"Based on their rate of expansion, I'd say fifteen doboshes. Maybe less," Allura replied.

"The only thing that could possibly close them would be a powerful gravity well," suggested Shiro.

"A gravity well?" Keith gasped, struggling to draw in air with each diminutive breath. Blood soaked the shirt of his suit, and the stain was steadily growing down his pant leg.

"The teladuv!" Coran exclaimed. "It creates a brief flash of infinite mass each time it powers a wormhole. I could overload the reactor and seal the breaches."

"But that would mean sacrificing the castle of Lions," Hunk said quietly. Everyone was silent.

"We have no choice," Pidge finally said. "The castle will be wiped out along with the rest of us unless we do something."

"But still," Hunk argued. "It's been our home."

"Coran, begin preparations. Everyone else start unloading the castle into the lions. We need to evacuate immediately," Allura ordered.

"Wa-wait..." Keith panted, clinging to consciousness.

"Keith? Are you okay?" Lance asked as the Red lion approached. Keith knew he wasn't going to be able to last much longer.

"Allura...Shiro needs...your help. His spirit...is trapped in...the Black lion. The other one...is a clone."

"What?!"

"Hold on, a clone?"

"That's not possible!"

Allura's voice cut through everyone's outbuts. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Keith replied. "You have to...save him..."

Everything was growing dim, and he could feel his body shutting down.

"Don't you dare!" Lance shouted, using Red to push the Black lion back towards the castle. Hunk and Pidge joined in, the three of them working together to bring him into the hangar.

Keith relaxed, settling back in his chair with a shallow exhale. The team would take care of Shiro, and Allura would save his brother. Shiro would be the black paladin that Voltron deserved, and they would continue on without him. They would be amazing.

The Black lion was deposited on the floor, the motion jarring Keith. He hissed, aware of people shouting and the ramp behind him opening.

"Keith?" Lance called out, rushing into the cockpit with Pidge, Hunk, and Allura on his heels. They all stopped short when they saw the blood soaking through Keith's armor and dripping into a puddle below him.

"That bad?" He wheezed.

Lance stumbled forward, crashing to his knees beside him and reaching out a hand to grip his shoulder. "Dios mio."

"It's...okay," Keith sighed. "Tell Shiro...bye...for me. And...Krolia..."

"No, no, Keith, stay awake!" Lance urged, grabbing his face. Keith blinked up at his team, his friends, before the darkness swiftly claimed him.

* * *

"Are you sure moving him was a good idea?"

"The pod's battery is spent. Taking it out of the castle must have damaged the core. Either way, it's done all it can."

"So what do we do now? He's barely healed!"

"We have no castle, and the lions power grids are severely depleted. I've tried contacting the Voltron Coalition but no one's answering."

"There's gotta be something we can do!"

"The lions can naturally recharge given enough time. But we are on the Dalterian belt, where there's an abundance of the element faunatonium. That could work as a temporary solution."

Keith tried to understand the nearby conversation between Coran, Pidge, Hunk and Lance, but none of it made any sense. He was content with drifting in semi-awareness, his body heavy and the pain in his side dulled to a near non-existence. Perhaps he was healed more than they perceived.

"Yorak, Romelle and I will help the search," Krolia volunteered.

"I'll stay with Keith," said Allura.

A hand rested on his shoulder. "I'll stay too. You guys be safe," said Shiro. There was the sound of the hatch opening, then receding footsteps before silence.

Keith felt pulled towards his brother's voice, fighting the allure of sleep. He instantly regretted it as awareness brought pain. His side was **burning** and no one appeared to notice. A whimper escaped his throat as his hands skated over his bare stomach before bumping into a thick bandage. Probably more of Romelle's handiwork.

"Whoa, easy, you're okay," Shiro soothed.

"Hr'ts," he groaned, wrenching his eyes open. He was in the storage compartment of the Black lion, Shiro and Allura's blurry figures hovering over him. Even half-conscious and suffering from blood loss, he still felt the panic bubbling in his chest. Because Shiro was a clone and he had failed to save him and his side _hurt_.

"Keith! You need to rest!" Allura admonished, gently yet firmly gripping his shoulders as he fought off Shiro and attempted to get up.

"D'n't," he slurred, trying to push her away. "He's a clone!"

"He's not!" Allura corrected. "I transferred his consciousness from the Black lion. He's the real Shiro."

Keith instantly deflated, falling back. He hadn't failed his brother after all. Raising shaky arms he covered his face with his hands and sobbed.

"It's okay, you're safe," Shiro murmured, leaning forward and carefully wrapping him in a one-armed embrace. He was mindful of Keith's wound, which throbbed. "I'm here. I'm here."

"Sh'ro," Keith cried, in too much pain to feel the mortification of laying his soul bare before others. Besides, Shiro was the first person to ever teach him that it was okay to trust others. That he didn't need to be guarded all the time.

That he was worthy of being loved, simply _because_.

He could feel himself growing more tired even as the tears continued streaming down his face. He was overjoyed that his brother had been returned to his rightful place as the leader of Voltron. And though he knew he wasn't going to make it to the end of their adventure, he was grateful for all he had witnessed thus far.

"Now you can be the real Black paladin," he said. Shiro shifted, sitting back with a worried expression.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm replaceable," Keith mumbled, his eyelids growing heavy.

Suddenly Allura was there, holding his face between her hands. "No! Keith! Come on, open your eyes!"

Slowly he blinked, struggling to do as she commanded. Breath rattled in his lungs as he sighed. He was ready.

"I forgive you," he whispered, everything slowly fading. His hand found Shiro's who squeezed his fingers tightly. Allura was yelling, her tears splashing down onto Keith. He didn't mind.

He breathed in, then out...


	7. Journey Within

_His chest was being crushed, then the pressure miraculously eased, before being applied again._

 _"Breathe!"_

 _A warm sensation washed over him, erasing everything else. He could sense Allura and Shiro. Then nothing._

"How is he?"

"The same."

"And how are you holding up?"

"I'm fine."

"Shiro, maybe we should talk about it?"

"I died, then was trapped in the Black lion's consciousness before being shoved into the body of my evil clone. You know, the one who tried to kill all of you? I'm adjusting as well as I can."

There was a long pause. Keith listened intently, catching snippets of conversation. It was as if he was underwater. But he recognized Shiro and the others' voices. Which made him want to wake up even more.

"How close are we to the outpost?"

"Nearly there."

"Hopefully they have some medical supplies. I'm worried about his fever."

Keith shoved aside his confusion and forced his eyes open, immediately clenching them tightly shut against the waves of dizziness and nausea.

Apparently coming back from the brink of death **hurt**.

His whole body was on fire. He coughed, groaning as his ribs shifted. The ache in his side was almost welcome compared to the new onslaught of discomfort.

A shadow loomed over him. "Keith? Can you hear me?" Krolia asked.

"Mhmm," he grunted. Already he regretted even attempting to rejoin the land of the living.

"Everything okay?" Shiro asked from nearby.

"He's waking up," she replied. There were a few beeps then the sound of footsteps before a hand carded through his hair, pushing it back from his sweaty forehead.

Keith's eyes blew wide open as he shoved aside the pain and confusion in order to see his brother.

"Hey," Shiro sighed, his thumb rubbing circles over his temple. "You scared us."

"S'ry," Keith murmured. They were in the cockpit of the Black lion, space dark around them. He realized the bed he laid on was a pod from the castle, the glass barrier gone.

"How are you feeling?" Krolia asked.

"Hot," he replied. If anything, his body temperature seemed to have risen a few degrees since he'd woken up.

"Your wound's infected," Shiro explained.

Keith had always been able to read his brother, and he could tell from the pinched look on his face that there was something more going on. "What happened?"

Shiro sighed. "You stopped breathing and Allura, she...she brought you back. We packed all of our belongings into the lions and used the castle to close the breaches."

Keith was silent. He had _died_. And their home for the last few years had been destroyed in order to save the galaxy. Yet again they were suffering so others didn't have to.

Shiro squeezed his arm. "We're headed to Earth. Coran gave Pidge's dad plans to build a replacement castle. But first we need to get you better, which is why we're making a quick stop to get supplies."

"I thought Allura healed me?" Keith asked.

"I did what I could, but I'm afraid I didn't have the strength to heal you after I brought you back," Allura explained. Apparently the comms were still on.

"No one blames you, princess," Lance said.

Shiro nodded. "We stitched you up as best as we could, but without antibiotics your infection could become serious."

Keith understood. After being kicked out of the garrison, he'd spent months living alone in a shack in the desert. He'd cut his hand once and ended up at a free clinic in the city with a high fever. But that had been just a scratch, not a bullet wound.

"Did you show him the castle?" Pidge asked.

Shiro pulled out a chain from around his neck on which a small blue crystal dangled and handed it to him. "The pressure from the breaches crushed the castle."

Keith reached out, gently holding the crystal in the palm of his hand. He couldn't fathom the castle of lions being crushed into something so small. "That's it?" He asked softly.

Shiro nodded sadly. "But we can build a new one."

"We're here," Krolia interrupted, checking the monitor. Shiro hurried back to the pilot's chair. Keith watched him grab the left controller and switch the Black lion off autopilot. For a moment he puzzled over why Shiro wasn't using his other hand. Then it dawned on him.

 _He'd cut it off._

Guilt washed over him. At the time he'd been more focused on saving Shiro, but realizing he had maimed his brother left him nearly breathless. Suddenly the cockpit was too small, the walls crushing in on him. He weakly tried to sit up but quickly stopped that notion when everything begun swinging around him in circles.

"Uh guys, we have a problem," Hunk said. Keith glanced out the window. He could see the meteor field they flew through, and the small Galran fleet before them. The ships seemed to be encircling a larger meteor.

"That might explain why we haven't gotten a response from the base," Krolia said.

Shiro frowned as the lions stopped, hiding behind a cluster of meteors. "Alright team, listen up. That base is too heavily guarded. Our best bet is to keep going and find somewhere else to get supplies."

Suddenly eruptions sounded around them, rocking the lions.

"They've spotted us!" Pidge shouted.

Shiro turned to Keith, looking stricken. "Can you fly?"

He wanted to say no, to keep lying there admiring the crystal-castle, but he couldn't ignore the pleading expression on his brother's face. Shiro had piloted them that far simply because they had no other option. But he couldn't get them out of a fight, not with one arm.

"Okay," he said, slowly sitting up. Krolia was there to help him to his feet. Shiro stood up from the pilot's seat and Keith sunk into it, forcing down the nausea and pain. The team needed him.

He glanced up at his brother who stood beside him. "You should keep this," he said, handing back the crystal. Shiro gave him a strange expression before slipping the chain once again around his neck.

"Everyone stick together," Keith said as he grabbed the controllers. The five lions left their hiding spot, maneuvering through the meteor field. The cruiser appeared to be staying back at the base, but the fighters were all following them.

"Wait, is Keith piloting the Black lion?" Allura asked.

"I asked him to," Shiro explained. "I'm not much use with one arm."

"I'll be fine," he grunted, trying to stay focused on piloting while also seeing double. So his wound was infected. So they had no medical supplies, or home. They'd been through worse.

Though soon it was evident how outmatched they truly were.

"I've never seen the Galra use weapons like these before," said Hunk.

"And they're not using standard battle formations," Shiro added.

"We should form Voltron," Allura suggested after they'd been fighting for over ten minutes with no sign of a reprieve.

"We're not flying at full power, we can't form Voltron right now," Pidge replied.

"They backed us into a corner," Lance said. "We got xanthorium crystals all around us, a Galran fleet behind us, and a cyclone blocking our only exit!"

"We have no choice," Keith said, steering towards the monstrous space storm. "Hunk, you and I will have to create a path for the others."

"Okay," Hunk agreed, albeit non-enthusiastically.

Together the Black and Yellow lions went first into the cyclone, the others close behind. Alarms sounded as they were peppered with debris and fighting against the current.

"There's a planet nearby!" Pidge shouted.

"Okay team, stick together," Shiro said. They exited the storm and flew towards an ice planet littered with tiny volcanoes that erupted with steam geysers.

"This should offer us plenty of coverage," Lance said. Keith relaxed. Maybe they could escape after all.

Suddenly a high density beam hit all five lions, sending them crashing to the surface. Keith was thrown from the pilot's seat, slamming into the console. He saw white then nothing.

* * *

Waking up from unconsciousness was quickly becoming tiresome.

Keith could feel the pain radiating from his side, along with heat. His ribs were still sore though considerably less so.

"There's only one guard, we should be able to rush them," Krolia said from nearby. Keith blinked, surprised to find himself laying on the floor of what appeared to be a holding cell. Judging by the purple light, the Galran fleet had captured them.

"What happened?" He asked, trying to leverage himself into a sitting position. His arm gave out but Allura caught him and helped ease him upright. He leaned back against the wall, trying to ignore the agony pulsing from his side.

"How are you feeling?" Shiro asked, kneeling beside the princess.

"Like shit," Keith honestly replied. He saw no point in glossing over how miserable he felt, and it was obvious from everyone's concerned expressions that they were worried about him.

"That fleet is actually a bunch of pirates," Lance said. "No idea how they got a Galran cruiser though."

Hunk nodded. "For pirates they seem very well organized. They locked us in here, and the lions are in the hangar."

"Where's Coran?" Keith asked, noticing the older Altaen was the only one missing.

"We're not sure," Pidge shrugged. "He must've hid when we were captured."

At that moment their cell door slid open and Lotor's generals Ezor and Zethrid walked in.

"We're gonna have a quick chat," Ezor said, eyeing each of them.

"Are you in command?" Allura demanded.

"We ask the questions around here," Zethrid snapped. "Where have you been all this time? And where's Lotor?"

"What are you talking about?" Shiro asked.

Ezor crossed her arms. "We're talking about your little disappearing act. Lotor went into the quintessence field and you followed, then you reappeared right before there was an explosion. After that, Voltron was gone."

"Gone?" Lance scoffed. "That explosion was us closing the breaches _your_ boss created!"

"Then what happened to Lotor?" Zethrid asked.

"We left him in the quintessence field," replied Allura sadly. "I'm sorry."

Ezor chuckled. "We don't believe you. It would take more than one fight against your puny defender to kill him."

"Besides, why aren't you dead?" Asked Zethrid.

"We escaped in our lions," Hunk replied. Both generals gave him skeptical glances.

"Here's the thing," Ezor said, walking closer to Keith. "You might've survived the explosion, but that still doesn't explain where you've been for the past two years."

"Two years?" Lance squawked. "That's insane! We blew up the castle right after Allura saved..."

Keith looked at the princess. "After she saved me."

"Its a continuum discrepancy! Being that close to the breaches when the castle closed them exposed us to time slippage," Pidge said, adjusting their glasses.

Everyone gaped at them.

"What?" They asked, uncomfortable with all the staring. "It explains why we haven't been able to contact the Coalition or Matt. As far as everyone knows, Voltron disappeared with Lotor."

"Enough!" Zethrid shouted. "Either someone tells us what really happened, or we jettison one of you out of the space lock. I pick the hurt one."

Keith put as much anger as he could muster into his glare, though she seemed unfazed.

"Aww, too bad Acxa isn't here. She always had a thing for him," teased Ezor.

There was a muffled explosion then the ship shook. A voice came in over the intercom, "Hull breach in hangar one!"

Ezor and Zethrid ran from the cell, the guards closing the door after them.

"What was that?" Romelle asked, scooting closer to Hunk.

"We don't have time to wait and find out," Shiro said, standing up. "Next time that door opens, we rush the guards." Everyone nodded, joining him by the door.

Keith knew the odds of them escaping were slim. Once Ezor and Zethrid got the ship stabilized they'd be back, and he was the one chosen to be killed if they didn't get their answers.

Closing his eyes, he reached out with his mind for his bayard. He refused to die without a fight. The weapon magically appeared in his hand and transformed into a sword.

"Whoa, Keith! How did you do that?" Lance asked, staring at him. The others turned around in equal surprise.

"I called out to it," he replied with a small shrug. Lance rolled his eyes.

At that moment the cell door slid open. "Coran! You saved us!" Allura squealed, rushing to hug him. Coran grinned sheepishly, glancing at Acxa. Yorak stood behind her, his tail flicking as he glanced up and down the hall.

"I had some help."

"We can talk about it later, right now we need to get to your lions. I blew a hole in the hangar so they're drifting in space, but once Ezor and Zethrid override the doors they'll be onto us," Acxa explained.

"Thank you," Shiro said.

"Yorak can take one or two at a time out to the lions," Krolia suggested. As if to prove it, the wolf brushed against Coran and Allura before they vanished. A brief second later, he reappeared alone.

"Okay, who's next?"

After several trips everyone was finally back in their lions and quickly leaving the crippled cruiser as far behind as possible. Acxa had decided to join them in hopes of helping them repair the Coalition, and had given coordinates to a planet where the Blade of Marmora were supposedly gathering.

For the second time that day, Keith allowed himself to hope.

* * *

"I'm fine," Keith repeated, trying to stand without swaying. Shiro, Krolia and Acxa eyed him in disbelief. And he knew they were probably right, it was probably best for him to stay with the lions. He was injured and would be more of a hindrance than a help. But he also knew he didn't want his friends going off exploring an unknown planet without him.

Opening the hatch, he slowly walked down the ramp. He was so focused on putting one foot in front of the other he completely missed seeing Hunk standing right in front of him. He collided with the yellow paladin and would've fallen over if not for the strong arms that kept him on his feet.

"You okay?" Hunk asked, steadying him. Keith nodded, hoping no one else had seen it.

"I'm with Shiro and Krolia, I think you should stay here," Lance said as he walked over. He didn't seem to be teasing, but actually appeared concerned.

It made Keith angry.

"I'll be fine, let's just do this," he snapped, shaking off Hunk's hands and walking into the demolished town. Eventually the others followed.

"Some of this damage was caused by magic," Allura said, brushing her hand against a partially destroyed wall. The town seemed abandoned, though it was exactly where the remaining Blade members were rumored to be gathering.

"Everyone stay sharp," Shiro said, glancing around. They were exposed walking out in the open but they had no other choice. None of them knew where the Blades were hiding.

Keith tripped over a brick and hissed as the movement tore at his side. For the umpteenth time he cursed his injury and how sluggish it made him.

"You okay?" Hunk asked. He'd stayed overly close ever since Keith had practically fallen into his arms

"I'm fine," he lied. He was aware of everyone surreptitiously watching him while also staying close, as if he was unable to defend himself if the need arose. He gripped his bayard tightly. If they were attacked, he'd protect his friends like he always did. He was their sword. An injury wouldn't stop him.

Yorak growled, bounding into a nearby building. Krolia and Lance followed, weapons drawn.

"Hey guys, Yorak found someone!" Lance yelled. The others quickly filed inside, surprised to see the wolf standing on the chest of an older alien male.

"Who are you?" Allura demanded.

"I am Macidus, and this is my home," the man explained, his hands raised in surrender. A tan mask covered his face. "I'm an ally of the Blade of Marmora."

"What happened here?" Krolia asked, pulling Yorak off of him.

Macidus rose to his feet and brushed himself off. "I'm glad to see the rumors aren't true and that the paladins of Voltron survived after all."

"You know us?" Asked Lance.

Macidus shook his head. "Only in stories. And to answer your question, the destruction you see was caused by Haggar's druids. After you disappeared, the power vacuum created in the Galran empire destabilized most of the universe. She started hunting the Blades, and when they had nowhere else to go my people offered them shelter. When the druids attacked we stood with them. But we were no match. Thankfully most of my people managed to evacuate before the fighting grew too fierce. In the end, of those who remained, only Kolivan and I survived."

"Kolivan's here?" Keith asked.

Macidus nodded. "He's weak, but I'm sure he would be glad to see you."

"Show us," said Krolia. They were led down a darkened hallway, everyone forced to go single file. Soon they emerged into a small room with boxes stacked in a corner and a small cot against the far wall.

"Where's Kolivan?" Coran asked, glancing around.

"Your hand is looking much better," Macidus said, looking at Keith.

"My...hand?"

"You don't remember our fight?"

 _The druid hit him with a lightning spear of magic and Keith was thrown against the containers of purified quintessence, his hand covered in purple burns. He fell to his knees, cradling his arm against his chest._

"You!" Keith growled, his bayard transforming into a sword. Macidus chuckled.

"Took you long enough."

And with that he vanished, leaving a small black box to clatter to the ground in his wake.

"No!" Krolia shouted, hurrying forward. Yorak suddenly appeared beside Keith and they materialized in the hallway as there was a flash of light. From the safety of their position they watched their friends become frozen, seeming to be trapped in some sort of magical glowing pink amber.

"You saved me," Keith murmured, scratching Yorak's head. The wolf whined, looking at the others. "Let's go find Kolivan then catch that creep."

Yorak teleported them deeper into the building. It took a moment for Keith's eyes to adjust to the half-light as he looked around the darkened room. He spotted a figure chained to the wall and slowly walked forward, hoping his hunch was wrong.

"Kolivan!" He rushed to his mentor's side, fighting off the dizziness as he tried unsuccessfully to break the shackles. The older Galran stirred, blinking slowly.

"Little one," he murmured, using his nickname for Keith.

"It's okay, I'm going to get you out of here," he promised.

"You managed to avoid my trap," Macidus said as he stepped out of the shadows. "But no matter. There is no escape but death!"

He vanished, suddenly reappearing above Keith who barely had time to raise his sword before they clashed.

"You're injured, and alone. Accept your fate," Macidus leared over their crossed blades.

Keith shoved him back, slicing at the alien. His sword cut through the mask and revealed a Galran face beneath.

Macidus grinned. "After I kill you and the other paladins, my high priestess will return. She will welcome me as her most loyal servant."

"Good luck with that," Keith growled, crouching in front of Kolivan with his sword raised. His arm shook from the effort of holding his weapon and he knew it was the end. Macidus held out his hand, electricity crackling in his palm. There was no way out, not without leaving Kolivan and his friends, which he refused to do. He would rather die.

Yorak jumped, fangs bared. The druid knocked him aside like a fly, giving Keith enough time to surge to his feet and attack. Each swing made his side burn and he struggled to keep lifting his sword, yet he continued fighting.

Macidus punched him hard, sending him sprawling. He rolled once but before he could catch his breath, the druid teleported directly beside him and kicked.

Keith screamed, slamming into the wall. He could feel the blood oozing through his bandage and knew the shoddy stitches they'd used had been ripped open.

"And now, the red paladin of Voltron will fall!"

Macidus loomed above him, sword held high to provide the killing stroke. Keith's hand scrambled on the ground, trying to find his bayard. He didn't want to go down without a fight. _He didn't want to die._

Suddenly the roof buckled and the others jumped through the gaping hole, landing behind Macidus.

"How?" He demanded, finding himself facing down eight opponents. With a growl he vanished.

"Keith!" Shiro yelled, rushing to his side while Krolia and Acxa checked on Kolivan.

"He's still...here," Keith gasped. He could sense the druid was close. Shiro nodded, taking his bayard. For a moment they were still, two brothers staring at each other. Then Shiro whirled, throwing the blade. It sunk deep into Macidus' chest as he appeared beside Pidge and he crumpled, exploding into a shower of purple sparks.

"Nice job!" Lance cheered, picking up the bayard. Keith smiled, letting his eyes close.

"Kolivan's hurt, but he'll be okay," Krolia said from nearby.

"Okay, you and Acxa get him to the Black lion. Pidge, Hunk, Coran, Romelle, and Lance, you guys check for supplies," Shiro ordered, everyone quickly following his commands. "Allura, help me with Keith."

"I must stay," Kolivan argued. "The universe needs the Blade of Marmora now more than ever."

Keith opened his eyes, watching the way Krolia and Kolivan were looking at each other.

"I will help you," Krolia vowed. "We'll find the others, and rebuild the Coalition."

Acxa knelt beside her. "I would like to join you, if I may."

Allura and Shiro eased Keith to his feet but he hardly noticed the room spinning. He was already feeling listless and dizzy, hearing Krolia plan on leaving him. _Again_.

As if sensing his thoughts, she turned to him.

"You're leaving?" He asked. She rose to her feet and walked over as Acxa helped Kolivan.

"I must," she replied sadly. "And your place is with your friends. They'll protect you. I'm just sorry to have to say goodbye for a second time."

Keith swallowed past the lump in his throat. He didn't want her to go, yet he felt he couldn't ask her to stay. She had an important job to do.

"Keep my blade sharp. You can return it when we see each other again," she said, leaning forward and pressing her forehead against his. Keith closed his eyes and breathed in her scent. Sweat and something metallic. He would know that smell anywhere.

 _Mom._

"Take care of him," Krolia said, stepping back and looking at Shiro and Allura.

"We will," Shiro promised.

"And we'll be back," Allura added.

Krolia nodded, gazing at her son. "I love you."

"I love you too, mom."

The trek back to the lions was silent. Keith welcomed the ache in his body over the emotional pain, trying to push away the fear that something might happen to his mom while he was gone. If she needed him, he'd be too far to help.

"We found some medical gear!" Pidge said over the comms as Allura and Shiro helped Keith back onto his makeshift bed.

"Is everyone still riding in the same lions, or are we gonna switch up passengers?" Lance asked.

"Why, do you wanna switch?" Asked Shiro.

Lance sputtered. "No, I was just curious!"

"Okay, so I've got the food," Hunk said. "Lance has Romelle, Pidge has Kaltenecker, Allura has Coran and the mice, and Shiro has Keith, Krolia, Kolivan, Acxa AND Yorak?"

"Krolia and Acxa have decided to stay with Kolivan and work on rebuilding the Coalition," Allura explained. Keith ignored her worried gaze as Shiro helped him out of his armor and shirt in order to peel off the bloodied bandage on his side.

"Oh...okay," Hunk said. No one else spoke for a moment and Keith relished the silence. He hadn't even begun to process his emotions, and having the team watching his every move would only make that more difficult.

The hatch opened and Pidge, Lance and Hunk filed in with Yorak on their heels. Pidge carried a small travel case which she handed to Shiro. He began greedily rifling through its contents.

"Yorak's helping Coran and Romelle get everything stored," said Pidge.

"You doing okay?" Lance asked, glancing at Keith.

"Yep."

He could feel how close to breaking down he was, and he feared the others could too.

"Alright, we've got good news and bad news," Shiro said, looking up from the case. "Good news, there's plenty of fresh bandages and thread for stitches, and looks like something to make you sleep. Bad news, no antibiotics."

Keith nodded. He'd been awake when they stitched his shoulder, and it was something he wasn't eager to repeat. Glancing at the small vial Shiro held, he grabbed it and drained it in two gulps before laying back with a sigh.

"Keith!" Shiro barked, taking the empty vial back.

"Do it once I'm out," he requested. He could already feel his eyelids growing heavy. Red growled faintly in the back of his mind, conveying a deep sense of concern and drive to protect. He smiled in spite of himself.

"I'm okay, girl."

Shiro squeezed his shoulder, then he knew no more.


	8. The Way Home

"What time is it?" Lance asked.

"What does it matter?" Keith replied, unable to stop the edge of derision from slipping into his voice. It wasn't that he was mad at Lance or frustrated by the repeated question (even though he'd already asked FOUR TIMES AND BEEN TOLD THE SAME THING). Mostly he was tired and feverish and possibly on the verge of collapse.

Shiro reached past him and turned off the comms. "Are you okay?"

Keith shrugged. "Sure."

The back of a hand was placed against his forehead and try as he might, he couldn't help but relax into the cool touch. In response, his brother swore under his breath. "You're burning up."

Before he could stop him Shiro put the Black lion on autopilot and pulled him up from the pilot's seat.

"Shiro, I'm fine. You're overreacting," he complained.

"Take him to Coran and Allura," Shiro said to Yorak who stood up from where he'd been curled on the floor. A moment later Keith found himself in the cockpit of Red, the wolf pressed against his leg.

Allura glanced back at him as Coran cheerfully appeared from the storage compartment with a box of medical supplies. "I figured you'd appear eventually. We might not have antibiotics, but keeping your wound clean and freshly bandaged will help," he said, patting a crate sitting in the corner. Reluctantly Keith perched on the edge and pulled off his armor then lifted his shirt.

"Thanks," he mumbled, glancing at Allura as Coran discarded the old bandage. She'd turned back around and seemed completely engrossed in the empty space before them.

"My pleasure," Coran smiled, smearing his wound with the disinfectant goo and taping down a new bandage. He patted Keith's shoulder good-naturedly. "Why don't you rest there for a moment? I need to reorganize the storage but I'll be right back."

Keith put his armor back on and watched the older Altaen wander off, Yorak following him. The door to the cockpit slid shut and suddenly he realized he was all alone with the princess for the first time since his return.

Glancing at the still-closed door, he silently cursed both his brother and Coran for arranging his ambush. Even Yorak.

"How are you feeling?" Allura asked after a few moments of silence.

Keith cleared his throat. "Uh, I'm alright."

"I'm glad you returned."

He stared at the back of her head in surprise. He could still hear her screaming at him to get out.

"I wasn't a very good leader, or a very good friend to you before," she continued, bowing her head. "I allowed my prejudice and fear to cloud my judgment. I **knew** you weren't at fault for what happened to my people, to the galaxy, but when you said you were part Galran that was all I could see. In that moment I forgot all the good you had done as a member of Voltron. I forgot the bond I could still feel between you and Red. I forgot how important you are to all of us. To me."

"Allura, it's..."

"I'm so sorry, Keith," Allura said, standing up and facing him. "When you died, I knew. I'd known even before then, but at that moment you said you forgave me. And I realized I couldn't bear the idea of a world without you. I'm so sorry."

Keith closed the distance between them, pulling her into a tight hug. "It's okay."

"Don't die on me again," she murmured into his shoulder.

He chuckled. "No promises."

Allura tightened her arms around him. And Keith smiled. It felt nice being part of their weird little space family.

But when he opened his eyes all notions of happiness evaporated.

 _Krolia floated past them, reaching out her hand toward him. Her mask was cracked and she was mouthing something to him..._

"Mom!"

He pulled away from Allura, scrambling over to the window and pounding his fist against the glass. "Mom! Mom!"

"Keith! What is it?" Allura asked, joining him. She looked around wildly as if she couldn't see Krolia right in front of them.

"It's my mom!" He panicked. "She's out there! We have to get her!"

He'd materialized his helmet and pulled it on before Allura even knew what he was planning, but once he ran towards the hatch she raced after him.

"Wait, you can't go out there!"

"I have to!" Keith yelled, pushing her aside. His mom was out there, dying or possibly dead, and he refused to leave her.

"Keith, stop!" Allura warned. She shoved him away from the control panel and faced him down.

"What's going on?" Coran asked as he and Yorak hurried into the cockpit, the wolf taking one look at the situation and vanishing.

"He thought he saw his mother," Allura explained.

"I don't think, I know!" Keith yelled. Allura was keeping him from saving his mom. She was his friend, but she hated the Galra.

 _Maybe she had thrown Krolia out into space._

He dove at Allura, knocking her against the wall. And while she dazedly tried to stop him, he was slamming his hand down on the panel and opening the hatch.

Space welcomed him as he flew back in the direction he hoped his mom was. Because if no one else believed him he would save her on his own.

Suddenly the Yellow lion appeared, catching him in its open mouth. He crashed onto the floor as the jaws snapped shut.

"Hunk! Let me out!" He yelled, surging to his feet.

"Keith, you gotta calm down," Hunk soothed over the comms. Keith tore off his helmet and chucked it, not wanting to hear anymore.

 _The whole team was in on it. They'd jettisoned Krolia together._

The compartment was too small. Keith burned bright as the sun, his rage consuming him. And beneath that wrath bubbled abject terror at being locked up.

"Let me out!" He roared, yanking his blade from the sheath on his back and starting to hack at the walls, the floor, anything he could reach in an attempt to escape. Sparks filled the air as he thoroughly destroyed everything around him. Yet Hunk and the Yellow lion prevailed.

When he'd scorched through his anger and fear there was nothing left to propel him forward. Without warning his knees buckled and he fell, his blade spinning madly across the floor away from him. He lay slumped amongst the carnage of his own creation, his spirit soaring while his body faltered.

He continued his mantra, oblivious to the blood soaking through the ruined bandage on his side.

"Let me out," he sobbed.

* * *

Keith awoke to a pounding in his skull and the inability to move.

He wrenched his eyes open, realizing he was back in the cockpit of Black lion and that he was lying on the pod-turned-makeshift-bed.

And that he'd been tied down.

"Wha..." He murmured, fighting to break free. The more he struggled the tighter the cords dug into his arms, his chest, his legs. He was effectively pinned.

"Keith," Shiro sighed, coming over and standing beside him. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. "It's okay."

"No, no, untie me," Keith begged. The sad expression that crumpled his brother's face told him he wasn't being released any time soon.

"I can't," Shiro murmured.

"Please, we have to help Krolia. We can't leave her! Please, please, just untie me. I can show you!"

Shiro shook his head, guilt marring his features. "You've got a fever. What you think you saw...it was an hallucination. Krolia is safe with Kolivan and Acxa. Remember?"

"No! I know what I saw!" Keith yelled. He so **sure**. Though he wasn't sure how his mom had gotten to their section of space, he was positive he had seen her. His fists clenched as he thrashed, twisting and turning. He could feel his stitches tearing but he didn't care. All that mattered was saving his mom.

And when the rope refused to break he began slamming his head back against the pod over and over and over again.

"Keith!"

Shiro was there, his one arm wrapped around Keith's head and pinning it down. With their foreheads pressed against each other and their breaths mingling, Keith felt some of his fury subsiding. Cooling.

"Little brother," Shiro murmured. "Little brother."

 _A twelve year old Keith sat in the passenger seat as a nineteen year old Shiro drove them away from the latest meeting with the case worker._

 _"I'm sorry," Keith mumbled. Ever since he'd gone to live with the Shirogane family, things had been tense. He was brash and rebellious and always seemed to be clashing with Sora Shirogane over one thing or another._

 _Maybe that's why she and her husband had never adopted him, in the four years he'd spent living with their family. When Shiro joined the Garrison at age sixteen that only made his home life more miserable, and after three long years he was eventually sent back to the foster system. It was then that he'd called the only person who cared about him._

 _"It's okay," Shiro said, giving him a small smile. "Ms. Taylor and I have a plan. Just trust me."_

 _Keith nodded. Of course he trusted him._

 _When they arrived at the Shirogane house, Shiro told him to wait in the car. But even from there he could hear the yelling._

 _"Don't ruin your future on some messed up kid!"_

 _"Takashi, we raised you better than this!"_

 _"I'm not asking your permission. He's coming with me."_

 _Shiro walked out the front door, not once looking back at the house or his parents who stood silently watching from the porch._

 _"What happened?" Keith asked as they drove away._

 _Shiro tightly gripped the steering wheel, loosing a heavy sigh. "Ms. Taylor approved me to be your guardian, after my parents" -he spat out the word- "decided they would no longer be fostering you."_

 _"I'm...I'm gonna live with you?" Keith asked quietly. He was afraid to hope._

 _"Yep," Shiro nodded, reaching over and tousling his hair. "I already got approval for an apartment on base."_

 _The supernova grin that lit up Keith's face nearly blinded Shiro._

 _"It'll just be me and you, little brother."_

* * *

A cool towel was laid across his forehead and he stirred feebly. The sounds of voices helped bring him closer to awareness, though he struggled fitting the broken bits together.

 _"I can't believe...made it!"_

 _"...has...If he finds out...he'll threaten the...in exchange for..."_

 _"Don't...we need it!"_

 _"Saturn's rings...enough interference...hidden."_

Before he could decipher the pieces of conversation, he slipped away into the darkness again.

* * *

Through the fog of fever Keith knew something was different. He was untied, though he couldn't remember why that was a big deal. Also it seemed they weren't in the Black lion anymore. From what he could tell he was lying on the floor with the blurry figures of Shiro, Hunk, Pidge, Coran, Allura, and Romelle swimming above him.

He'd finally lost his mind. _Great_.

"Alright, you guys ready?" Lance's muffled voice rang from nearby, as if he was shouting through a wall.

"Let's do it," Hunk said.

Keith caught snatches of conversation, something about landing as close as possible, then he was jostled awake. Shiro and Coran were there, easing him to his feet. They stepped out of whatever they'd been inside of and for a moment his eyes struggled to adjust to the bright light. A cold air blew against his face and he sighed. He knew where they were.

Earth.

"Everyone stick together. Lance, Pidge, you two take the front. Romelle and Allura, watch our sides. And Hunk you've got the rear," Shiro ordered. Everyone raised their weapons, keeping Shiro, Coran and Keith protected in the middle.

"Sh'ro," Keith mumbled, his feet dragging behind him. He'd long since lost the strength to walk on his own.

"Hey, you're okay," Shiro soothed, tightening his arm wrapped around Keith's waist.

"Your garrison is close, they should be able to fix you up in a jiffy," Coran added.

Keith closed his eyes and let his head slump, unable to stay awake any longer. He was just too tired.

* * *

 _"Katie!"_

 _"Mom!"_

 _"Lance? Lance!"_

 _"We need a medic!"_

* * *

Keith awoke slowly. His body felt...lighter. It took a few moments before he realized the pain in his side was gone, along with his bruised ribs. And his head was clearer than it'd been in days.

He opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself in a white room stocked with Earth medical supplies; obviously the garrison med bay. A strange contraption rested on his head and he fumbled with it, wanting it off. That's when he noticed the electrodes stuck on his arms and chest and forehead. He haphazardly began pulling them off, an alarm sounding from one of the machines next to his bed.

"Hey, hey, hey! Easy, you're okay," Lance said, appearing at his side. He grabbed Keith's hands and stopped any further movements, glancing over his shoulder. "A little help here?"

"Wha...where am I?" Keith asked as Hunk and Pidge joined Lance, someone turning off the obnoxious alarm. They all looked relieved.

"Man, it's good to see you awake!" Hunk beamed. "How are you feeling?"

"Are we..."

Pidge nodded. "Yah, we made it to Earth. You missed some real excitement!" Keith sighed, closing his eyes. They'd survived their wild trip after all.

"Should we go get Shiro?" Lance asked. Keith opened his eyes and checked the room, surprised to find his brother absent. It felt strange waking up without him.

"Hey, Shiro, guess who's awake!" Hunk said into a radio.

For a moment there was static then Shiro's relieved voice, "I'll be there in a few minutes. Is he okay?"

"Being his usual talkative self," Lance chimed in. Keith was too out of sorts to catch the joke.

"Alright, see you soon."

Keith relaxed. Shiro was on his way, they'd made it back to earth, and obviously he wasn't dead.

"You didn't answer Hunk - how are you feeling?" Pidge asked.

"M'okay," he replied.

"We'll if you're not, you can tell us," said Lance, who in a rare display of friendship helped extricate Keith from the medical equipment. "You were really close to not being okay."

Keith glanced up at his teammates. They'd suddenly turned solemn. Sensing they needed to hear it, he repeated, "I'm okay."

"Lucky for you Pidge found a natural wormhole that dumped us on the edge of the Milky Way much faster than expected," Hunk said.

Pidge shrugged. "Once you know what you're looking for its not that hard. Besides, fear is a great motivator. You'd been running a high fever for a few days and we had nothing to give you to help."

"Yah, they've been closely monitoring you since we arrived. Also Shiro told them you needed a higher dose of antibiotics but didn't mention, you know, the _Galran_ aspect," Lance added.

"Right," he mumbled. Best not to tell a trigger happy planet he was part alien.

"What did you see when you were hallucinating, anyway?" Asked Hunk.

"I..." He began, wanting to say the words swimming in his head yet fearing being so open and vulnerable. The walls he'd built around himself were hard to lower. Looking up the three paladins around him, he knew some people were worth trusting.

"My mom, she was...she was floating in space. And when Allura tried to stop me I thought she was somehow responsible. That all of you were in on it."

Lance blew out a heavy sigh. "Damn."

"Yah," Keith sighed, slowly sitting upright. "Anything else I miss?"

Lance laughed sarcastically until Hunk elbowed him in the side.

"You were really out of it when we got here, but quick recap : Sendak's taken over Earth. This garrison remains one of the only strongholds we have left," Pidge replied.

At that moment Shiro walked in, looking anxious and sleep deprived but overjoyed to see his brother.

"What do you mean taken over?!"


	9. Sacrifice

The Garrison leaders had waited to debrief until Keith had recovered, and though medical wasn't pleased with him leaving before they could verify how he had improved so quickly, nothing was stopping him from walking out. To them he was a miracle, but there was no way he was telling them it was due to his half-alien heritage.

"I'm sorry about your lion," he apologized for the fourth time to Hunk as their small group headed towards the command center.

"It's okay," Hunk smiled. "You weren't yourself. Besides, the damage has already been repaired."

Keith nodded, catching himself staring at Shiro's new prosthetic arm. Unlike the previous machinery, the new one was white and glowed faintly blue when powered up. When his brother had arrived at the med bay, he'd been too preoccupied to notice until they'd hugged. Then it dawned on him.

"Allura used the crystal in her crown to power it," Shiro explained, noticing Keith's glance. "It's even better than the Galran one. And less evil."

"Wait, did Shiro just make a joke?" Lance demanded.

"I think he did," Pidge replied. Keith smiled. He was glad to be back amongst his team. His friends.

Even if the Earth had been taken over by a hostile Galran faction led by Sendak. At least they were together.

Hunk held open the door and they filed inside, the assembled military leaders seated around the large oval table stopping their conversations to stare at them.

Allura, Coran and Romelle were already there, the chairs next to them left empty. Keith was aware of quite a few glances his way as he sat down between the princess and his brother and tried to school his facial expression into something less angry and more diplomatic.

"Welcome, paladins of Voltron," Sam Holt greeted as he stood up and walked over to the head of the table. "We're all glad that you've come to assist us in this fight."

"Sendak and his forces remain at a distance, but without supplies we won't be able to put up much of a fight," he continued, using a remote to highlight on the screen behind him how much of the Earth had been taken over. It was all purple except a small circle. The garrison.

"No one else is fighting back?" Lance asked.

"There's small rebel groups, but their numbers and weapons aren't enough to cause significant damage," replied Commander Iverson.

"And what about the civilians? We should be offering them protection," said Hunk.

Sam sighed. "Any rescue or recovery operations have been stopped until we can find more supplies. We simply don't have the ability to take care of anyone else at the moment."

"My family's out there!" Hunk argued.

"I understand, believe me. We all have family out there," Sam said. "But we have to be smart about it. What's the point of bringing more people here if it speeds up the timetable for running out of supplies? We'd starve together."

Hunk fell silent. Keith grimaced, wanting to offer comfort but unsure how it would help.

"Then let's find out what we can do," Allura suggested.

"We've been able to outfit a few of our fighters with advanced weaponry, but sustaining their power has been an issue," Iverson said.

Sam clicked to a picture of a white spaceship. "And this is our battleship, the Atlas. It can house all of the lions and a full command unit. But I've been having trouble regulating the core."

"Maybe I can help with that," Coran volunteered. "I think I might have a solution for both the fighters and the Atlas."

"That's wonderful," Admiral Sanda said as she stood up, surveying each of the paladins. "But there's something else we must discuss. Sendak attacked Earth to capture the lions. Now that you're here we need to weigh our options."

"Are you suggesting we hand the lions over to the Galra?" Shiro demanded.

"Our supplies will soon be gone. We have a ship that can barely fly, and the weapons we do have are only strong enough to defend this base. All we can do is protect this small piece of Earth, but not for much longer," the Admiral replied.

"The universe needs the lions!" Lance argued.

"So do we! They're our only bargaining chip," Sanda retorted.

"I'll settle this argument right now," Allura said, standing up. "We're not giving up the lions under any circumstances! You can't negotiate with Sendak."

"You're not from Earth, you don't speak for our people," snapped one of the other commanders, leering at the princess.

Keith rose to his feet, squeezing Allura's hand. "She might not be, but I am. And she's right. We will **never** turn over the lions on some misguided hope that Sendak will leave our planet after we've given him everything he wants. We've fought him before. He would still destroy Earth on principle. So no, Admiral, the lions are not an option. They never will be."

The room fell silent as everyone looked at him. Normally Keith would squirm under so much attention, but he simply held the Admiral's gaze.

"Then you've doomed us all," she said, turning and exiting the room. The other commanders followed, leaving the Voltron team, Sam, and Iverson.

"That was wicked!" Pidge cheered, hugging Keith. He grinned.

"Good job," Shiro agreed.

"So now what?" Romelle asked. "That woman might not know where the lions are, but that won't stop her from searching for them."

"Yes, strikes me as the type who would do anything to protect her people," Coran said.

"That's what I'm afraid of. From now on, none of us go anywhere alone," Allura ordered.

"Wait, you're saying..." Sam faltered, at a loss for words.

"Admiral Sanda isn't above forcing us to give her the location of the lions. Even with what we've told her, she doesn't believe us. She thinks Sendak would leave if he got what he wanted," Keith replied, looking at Sam and Iverson.

"Let's go see if we can work on the Atlas and fighters," Shiro suggested, leading their group out into the hallway and towards the hangar.

"I'm gonna go to the kitchen," Hunk said dejectedly. Keith stopped to look back at his retreating form.

"You didn't have to come with me," Hunk said as he fell into step beside him.

"I know."

They walked in silence, entering the empty kitchen. It was nearly ten PM so no one was around to bother them. No one to gawk at them in their paladin armor, clearly not blending in with the garrison forces.

Hunk began rifling through the fridge and Keith leaned against the counter.

"I'm not really good at talking about my feelings to, well, anyone besides Shiro. So I don't expect you to wanna tell me what's bothering you, and I think I already know what it is, but I want you to know that I'm here for you," he said, expecting Hunk to brush him off.

"This sucks!" Hunk yelled, slamming his hand on the counter. "We finally get back home and it's taken over by Galra!"

"I guess you do wanna talk," he said, straightening up.

Hunk turned to look at him. "I used to dream about coming back, seeing my family, being hailed as heroes. But now my family...my family is out there and I don't even know if they're okay. I was protecting the universe when I should've been protecting them! And I'm happy for Pidge and Lance, I really am, but when I see them with their families it makes me miss mine even more."

Keith nodded in understanding. He'd felt that way plenty of times growing up without his mom and the jealousy of seeing other kids with theirs. It was only compounded by the death of his father. And then when Shiro was reported dead on the Kerberos mission his world imploded. The only family he had left was gone.

"Look, I know exactly how you're feeling. But your family needs you to be strong right now. That's why you're the yellow paladin. You help those in need. Even when you're scared you're still the bravest person I know."

Hunk grabbed him in a tight hug.

"Okay," Keith gasped as he was lifted off the ground. "Alright, now we're hugging..."

"Thank you, Keith," Hunk said, setting him back down before turning towards the door.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"To get my family," Hunk replied, looking back over his shoulder.

"Not without me."

* * *

"Okay, will someone please explain what the emergency is?" Lance asked as he, Sam, Iverson, Romelle, Yorak, Coran and the other paladins followed Hunk and Keith onto the Atlas.

"Hunk and I snuck out, to see if we could break his family out of the work camp," Keith replied.

"What?" Lance gasped in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"How could you be so reckless?" Allura reprimanded.

"Did you find them?" Asked Pidge.

"No," Hunk said, shaking his head sadly. "The guards moved all the workers from the camp yesterday so the garrison intel was useless."

"But we found what they'd been working on," Keith said, putting an image up on the screen from everyone to see.

"Is that what I think it is?" Shiro asked.

"A zaiforge cannon," Keith replied.

"What does it do?" Iverson asked, surveying the picture intently.

"It's a planet killer," Allura said softly.

"We have a problem!" Pidge interrupted, typing on their tablet before a map was displayed on the screen beside the picture of the cannon. Six dots were labelled, one on each major continent. "Sendak didn't build one cannon...he built six."

"No!"

"How are we supposed to destroy one of those without our lions?"

"Yah, let alone six?!"

"Guys!"

Their group fell silent, watching Keith. "This is bad. Real bad. But we can't allow Sendak to destroy our planet. We have to shut down those weapons before he completes them."

"How?" Lance asked. "We don't have our lions and the fighters can't travel that far!"

"If you call for your lions they'll come. Distance doesn't change your bond," Shiro said. "You're more powerful than you know."

"And I outfitted the fighters with some faunotonium. They can drop each of you at a cannon then rendezvous at the last one," said Coran.

"While you're destroying the cannons, Sam, Iverson, and the rest of us will be on the Atlas keeping Sendak distracted," Shiro added, nodding at Romelle and Yorak.

"I think you should pilot the Black lion," Keith said. Everyone stopped.

Shiro walked over and placed his hand on his shoulder, forcing Keith to look at him. "You're the Black paladin now. I belong on the Atlas."

"Yah, what he said," Hunk agreed.

"We'll follow you wherever you lead," Allura said, smiling at him.

Keith looked around at his team. His friends. His space family. He'd sacrificed a lot to bring them to that point, and he was willing to sacrifice even more if it kept them safe. If it saved Earth.

To defend his family and their home he'd burn brighter than one hundred suns.

* * *

Keith groaned, slowly waking up. Everything hurt. He remembered the lions and fighters attacking the cannons, but somehow Sendak had known they were coming. He was ready for them. They'd barely formed Voltron before they were hit with the concentrated fire power of all six zaiforges.

And judging by the purple color of his cell...

Stumbling to his feet, Keith slammed into the door. "Lance! Pidge! Hunk! Allura!"

"I'm here," Lance sighed from the cell to his left.

"Me too," Hunk said from the cell directly across the narrow hall. "What happened?"

"Sendak used reflector plates to hit us with all six beams at once," Pidge replied from the cell beside Hunk.

"It was a trap," Allura said from the cell on Hunk's other side.

"I thought by giving him the lions, he would leave Earth unharmed. We made a deal. But he lied," a voice said softly from the cell on Keith's right.

"Admiral?" He asked, turning towards that wall.

"I'm sorry. I was trying to protect our people, and I betrayed you. Now I've doomed us all," she said.

Suddenly the ship rattled as a muffled explosion reverberated from outside.

"What the hell was that?" Lance demanded.

"It's Shiro!" Keith smiled, knowing his brother. He would be in the thick of it, trying to blast his way to them.

"They launched the Atlas!" Pidge cheered.

"But they can't win a fight against Sendak's fleet **and** the cannons alone," Hunk said.

"Paladins, remember all that we've learned," Allura said. "We defeated Zarkon. We entered the quintessence field to defeat Lotor. We brought Shiro back. We called out to our lions who came from Saturn. We can do this. Call out to your lions again."

"Shiro said we're capable of more than we realize," Keith added. "Patience yields focus."

He closed his eyes, reaching out for that connection. That spark between him and the Black lion. As he gave it a sharp, urgent tug, he smiled at the faint growl he felt from Red. Still protective.

And then he was seeing through the Black lions eyes as he had before, except his body remained on the cruiser as the five lions broke free and flew towards the Atlas.

"Paladins!" Shiro yelled happily. "Let's take out Sendak!"

"Wait!" Pidge shouted. "Our bodies are still on that ship! We're remotely piloting the lions until we can break out."

"Amazing," Coran laughed.

"Alright then, let's get to work," Shiro ordered. With the five lions and the Atlas, soon the Galra fleet had been halved.

Once they'd cleared a path to Sendak's cruiser they snapped back into their bodies as the Black lion blasted a hole for them to escape. Keith crawled under his partially opened door and out into the hallway, making sure the other four paladins joined him. But their relief didn't last long.

Admiral Sanda lay on the floor ahead of them surrounded by blaster riddled sentry robots, the rest of the hall demolished.

Keith rushed to her side and gently cradled her head. He counted at least four serious wounds. Obviously she'd gone down fighting.

"Do what...I couldn't," she breathed. "Save...Earth..." Her last breath rattled in her chest and then she was gone.

Keith rocked back on his heels. "We can't leave her here."

"I've got her," Hunk said, stepping forward and carefully lifting the Admiral's body into his arms.

"I know we're scared and overwhelmed," Keith said, looking around at the others. "But we can't give up now. The Earth needs us. Our people need us. The Admiral died protecting us so we'd have another chance to stop Sendak. We can do this, together."

"Together," Allura nodded.

"Together," Hunk said.

"Together," agreed Lance and Pidge.

The five of them flew through space towards their waiting lions, Hunk keeping the Admiral held tightly in his arms.

"Alright, we're clear of Sendak's ship," Keith said over the comms once they'd safely boarded.

"Paladins, listen closely. I know what Sendak is planning," Sam said, sending them a detailed diagram. "He's going to bring the cannons to one location. Once they're in position, the individual beams will merge to create one. It'll have the power to vaporize the planet in seconds."

"What do we do?" Hunk yelled.

"Do we destroy the cannons?" Asked Allura. "We might not be able to defeat them all in time."

"If even two beams connect, it'll still be powerful enough to destroy the Earth," Sam replied.

"They're being controlled by Sendak. Let's take him out," Keith suggested, piloting his lion towards the cruiser they had just escaped.

Suddenly he was hit with a beam, knocking him sideways.

"Keith, you okay?" Lance asked as he righted themselves.

"Yah," Keith said, looking around. "What was that?"

"We're being attacked by one of the bases that launched a cannon," Pidge replied. A second beam fired towards them and everyone dodged, watching as it connected with one of the Galra cruisers which promptly exploded.

"Sendak's destroying his own ships to get to us!" Allura said in surprise.

"Paladins, you have to stop!" Shiro ordered.

"What?" Keith demanded. _They needed to cut off the head of the snake._

"Stop your attack, or Earth will be destroyed," Shiro explained. "I've sent Griffin's team to take out that zaiforge base and the Atlas will keep attacking the fleet, but you need to stop the cannons."

"And how are we supposed to do that? I don't think our lions can take them out on their own," Hunk said.

"We just have to think," Allura encouraged.

"Is there any way we could block the beams?" Lance asked.

"We would be annihilated," replied Pidge. "But we might be able to use their reflective plates to deflect the beams and keep them from merging."

"It's the best plan we've got," Keith said.

"I've sent everyone the fastest flight paths. Keith and Lance, your plates are the furthest. After you get your plate head to the designated cannon," Pidge explained as different routes appeared on each of their screens guiding them to their respective destinations.

"Got it!" Keith said, taking off. Within seconds he'd reached his plate and had begun directing it towards Pidge's calculated position. Already he could feel the thrusters burning as hard as they could.

"Come on," he coaxed. "How much time do we have left?"

"Two minutes and counting," Sam replied.

"It's gonna be close!" Lance yelled. Keith could see him in the distance, the Blue lion heading his way with its own plate.

"The cannons could fire any second now!" Sam warned.

"We're almost in position," Keith said, using every last bit of power Black had to push forward. He glanced down, seeing that everyone was exactly where they needed to be.

Just as the cannons fired.

The plates deflected the beams, each lion struggling to stay in position as the sustained blast bombarded each of them.

"My plate's breaking! We won't last much longer!" Hunk yelled.

"Keep holding, team. We can do this!" Keith encouraged. "Atlas, what's the plan?"

"Hold on just a little longer," Coran replied.

"We're running out of time!" Lance shouted as the plates exploded.

* * *

 _"Paladins!"_

 _"Our shield won't hold for much longer!"_

Keith awoke, blinking slowly. He was still in the cockpit of the Black lion, floating away from the destroyed plate. He turned in his seat and watched in horror as the beams connected to form one massive beam that was blocked by the Atlas.

"Guys!" Keith shouted, grabbing the controllers and rushing towards the nearest cannon. Only five seemed to be operational, but it was still more than enough to destroy the Earth. He couldn't wait for the others, none of whom were responding.

Slashing, blasting, and tearing his way through the cannon seemed his best bet and once it exploded he headed for the next one.

"Keith!" Allura greeted as she joined him. Lance, Hunk and Pidge began attacking their own cannon and quickly the paladins, working together as a group, destroyed the five weapons.

"Good job paladins!" Coran said. "The fighters have taken out the ground bases and all that's left is Sendak's ship. But it's on a crash course for Earth!"

"We have to guide it to an uninhabited area!" Keith ordered, flying after the falling ship. He braced the Black lion underneath, trying to keep it airborne long enough for them to pass the looming city. The other lions joined in and helped direct the cruiser further into the desert.

"Shiro's on that ship!" Sam shouted.

"I'm sending Yorak!" Coran said.

Keith tried to stay focused on keeping the ship aloft, but his mind had strayed to his brother. Panic gripped him. There was no way he could survive the imminent crash landing.

Suddenly Yorak appeared in the cockpit with Shiro, who slumped to the floor weakly.

"I've got Shiro!" Keith yelled. "Everyone get clear!"

The lions dove out from underneath the cruiser moments before it collided with the hard packed ground, splintering into multiple pieces. For a moment the lions hovered above it, waiting for any sign of life.

"Keith," Shiro panted, struggling to his feet and pointing to where Sendak emerged from the rubble appearing unharmed.

"Why won't this guy die?!" yelled Lance.

"Stay here," Keith to Shiro as he stood up and headed towards the hatch. The Black lion neared the ground as it opened and he jumped, bayard in the shape of a sword. Sendak turned in surprise as Keith flew towards him, slicing through the Galran commander with one swift motion.

Keith rolled into a half crouch as Sendak crumpled to the ground, not moving.

"We did it!" Pidge cried as the lions landed.

"Earth is safe!" Hunk cheered.

Keith smiled as he rose to his feet. They'd actually won.

A large object punched through the atmosphere, heading straight for them.

"No!" Allura gasped.

"Paladins, brace for impact!" Keith yelled as he ran back to the Black lion. He'd barely made it inside and to his seat when the object hit, sending a shock wave straight towards them.

"Get him to the Atlas!" he said to Yorak who teleported Shiro to safety.

The Black lion withstood the blast, and when the dust settled the five lions turned to face their new threat.

From the crater emerged a white machine similar in size to Voltron, but that's where the similarities ended. Whereas they were comprised of five lions of varying colors, the enemy they faced was all white with purple accents. It carried a double bladed scythe and appeared to be built along the same lines as Lotor's had been.

"It completely deflected our attack!" Allura said as they fired upon it with no affect whatsoever.

Keith dove towards the machine, firing his blasters. He was easily knocked aside with a high powered beam, sending him flying into a rock formation. Before he had a chance to move the enemy was upon him and stabbed their scythe into his shoulder.

He screamed, his arm going numb from the pain as sparks flew throughout the cockpit. An alarm sounded; Black had lost the use of its front left leg.

"Keith! Get out of there!" Lance yelled as he, Hunk, Pidge, and Allura peppered the other machine with blasts. Struggling to pilot with only one arm, Keith managed to get the Black lion into the air.

"Are you alright?" Pidge asked.

"Been better," he grunted, his arm hanging limply at his side.

"Anyone know where that thing came from?" Asked Hunk as the lions hovered above the machine.

"We just defeated a Galran armada, and now this?" Allura demanded as they were attacked.

"Team, I know we're all tired, but this is our home. We're gonna defend it no matter what," Keith said.

"And you're not alone!" Shiro said as the Atlas approached. The ship fired upon the mysterious machine which dodged the attack and fired a beam straight back. They raised the particle shield but the blast tore right through it.

"Atlas, we need you to hold it back long enough for us to form Voltron," he requested.

"We'll do what we can," Shiro said.

Pushing the right controller forward, Keith shouted to the others, "Let's finish this!"

In the mere seconds it took to form Voltron the Atlas had come under heavy. Their shield was destroyed and they wouldn't be able to take another direct hit. The machine flew straight for them.

Right before it would hit, Voltron punched it into the ground.

"Thanks guys," Shiro said, the Atlas using the reprieve to firepower their shields and cannons.

The machine slowly extracted itself from the rubble and stood up, taking its scythe in both hands and separating it into two blades.

"My bayard port just opened," Lance said.

"Mine too!" Said Pidge.

"Sword!" Keith ordered. With the new ability unlocked by Lance and Pidge, Voltron was armed with twin blades. But even with two they still lagged behind the enemy as it blocked each of their attacks before blasting them back with a beam from its chest. They stumbled, barely keeping their feet under them as the machine jumped with it's blades raised for a double kill.

"Pidge, shield!"

Their shield was swatted away as the machine stabbed Voltron's chest, knocking them to their knees while it towered over them.

Power surged through Voltron, electricity crackling as the blades sunk deeper. But there was something different about the weapons. They weren't simply destroying, they were...

"It's using stealing our quintessence!" Pidge shouted, unlocking a new cannon with their bayard. They slammed it under the machine's chin and fired, sending it flying.

"Everyone okay?" Shiro asked.

"Our power levels dropped significantly," Allura replied. Slowly Voltron rose to its feet, all five paladins feeling drained.

"Guys, we're getting too close to the work camp," Hunk warned.

"Then we take this fight to the sky," Keith said. Voltron flew up through the atmosphere, the enemy following. They'd barely cleared the clouds when they were attacked and easily overpowered. Before they could raise their shield, the machine hit them again with its blades.

"We can't get free!" Lance shouted as Voltron's power was completely drained. When it had finished it shoved them towards Earth and they plummeted in a freefall.

"Brace!" Keith yelled, the ground quickly approaching.

* * *

"Everyone, report in," Lance's voice rang out, pulling Keith into awareness.

"Here," Pidge answered.

"Me too," said Hunk.

"I've never seen something that powerful," Allura said.

"Keith, you there?" Lance asked.

"Yah," Keith sighed, ignoring the pain burning from his shoulder to his fingertips every time he dared move his arm. Glancing down, he saw electrical burn marks covering that side of his armor.

"Guys, we need to move," Hunk panicked as the machine effortlessly landed nearby and began walking towards them.

"We can't, our power's been depleted," Pidge said. Keith grabbed the right controller and willed Voltron to move, to do anything rather than lay there as they were easily defeated.

A shape hurtled towards them, sending out a wave as it landed between them and the enemy.

"It's...It's the Atlas," Lance said in shock. They stared up at the white and orange machine that towered above them, easily five times the size of Voltron.

"Paladins, are you alright?" Coran asked.

"We have no power," Allura replied. "How did you transform?"

"I'm not sure," Shiro admitted.

"The castle crystal and the one used in Shiro's arm combined to power this," Sam explained. "I knew it might be possible from the blueprints, but had no idea how. Until now."

"We'll cover you, work together to recharge," Shiro said before the Atlas began fighting the enemy.

But even in their colossal machine, they were still no match for the faster, more agile opponent. It easily dodged their blasts and stabbed its two blades into their back, beginning to drain the Atlas.

"Come on, we have to do something!" Pidge shouted. Keith checked the power levels which had risen to five percent. Barely enough for them to stand.

And that's when he saw it; the machine had only one fatal flaw.

"I've got a plan," he said. "We have to hit the opening on its chest right before it fires."

"That's a split second window," Allura said.

"How do we do that?" Hunk asked.

"We've got one chance," Keith replied, seeing the indication that the red paladin's bayard had unlocked a new weapon. "Lance!"

Together they turned their bayards as Voltron rose to its feet, the sword gripped tightly while enhanced boosters sprouted on their back like wings. _The ones Keith had used before, to reach the others when they fought Lotor._

"Give it everything you've got!"

They flew straight for the enemy as it prepared to fire upon the Atlas, the port on its chest opening. It didn't have a chance to defend itself before they stabbed the sword directly through it.

The subsequent explosion ripped Voltron apart into the separate lions.

"Did we beat it?" Lance asked as they landed, nearly drained again.

"I think so," Keith replied. The machine lay in a crater before them, powered down and not moving.

A sudden alarm began blaring. "What now?" Hunk demanded.

"It's must have a self-destruct!" Pidge said. "The blast radius would wipe out half of the planet."

Keith forced his left arm to grab the controller, ignoring the agony. "Then we need to get it out of here."

Together the five lions lifted it into the air, using their last reserves of power to fly up through the atmosphere. Once they cleared the Earth, Keith knew what he needed to do.

"You four fall back, I've got it," he ordered, using the wing boosters to outpace his teammates.

"No, Keith!" Allura argued.

"We're a team!" Shouted Lance.

"Don't this!" Pidge cried.

"Come on Keith," Hunk begged.

"It's been an honor to fly with you all," he said, pushing as hard as he could to shove the machine away into space. Yet again sacrificing himself to save those he cared about.

It used to just be Shiro. Then Lance, Allura, Hunk, Pidge, and even Coran had carved their places into his life. Not to mention Krolia, Kolivan, Romelle, and Yorak. He couldn't imagine his life without any of them.

He couldn't believe in a more noble cause to die for.

And he couldn't think of a better goodbye.

The machine exploded, throwing him backwards.


End file.
